THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT 


LOUISE    MUHLBACH 


THE  TORCH -BEARER,  PRECEDING  THE  FOREMOSI  CARRIAGE,  VIGOROUSLY  MARCHED  AHEAD 
ON  THE  ROAD 


THE  WORKS  OF 

LOUISE    MUHLBACH 

IN     EIGHTEEN     VOLUMES 


LOUISA    OF    PRUSSIA 
AND  HER  TIMES 


FRONTISPIECES  IN  COLOR  FROM  PAINTINGS  BY 
WALTER   H.  EVERETT 


NEW  YORK 
P.    F.    COLLIER    &    SON 

M  C  M   I  I 

7 


COPYRIGHT  1867 
BY  D,  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 


COOTEKTS. 


CAMPO   FORMIO. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     Dreadful  Tidings, .1 

II.     Minister  von  Thugut, 5 

III.  The  Interview 11 

IV.  The  Two  Ministers, 19 

V.  The  House  in  the  Gumpendorfer  Suburb,          .        .        27 

VI.     Joseph  Haydn, 33 

VII.     General  Bonaparte, 40 

VIII.     The  Treaty  of  Campo  Formio, 48 

THE  YOUNG  QUEEN  OF  PRUSSIA. 

IX.     Queen  Louisa, 56 

X.     The  King's  Recollections, 67 

XI.     The  Young  King, 74 

XII.     Frederick  Gentz, 79 

XIII.  The  Interview  with  the  Minister  of  Finance,   .        .        86 

XIV.  The  Memorial  to  Frederick  William  III. ,      .        .        .-94 
XV.     The  Wedding 101 

XVI.     Marianne  Meier 109 

XVII.     Love  and  Politics, 118 

FRANCE  AND  GERMANY. 

XVIII.     Citoyenne  Josephine  Bonaparte 129 

XIX.     Bonaparte  and  Josephine, 137 

XX.  The  Reception  of  the  Ambassadors,       ....  146 

XXI.     France  and  Austria, 153 

XXII.     The  Banner  of  Glory, 159 

XXIII,  Minister  Thugut, 169 

XXIV.  The  Festival  of  the  Volunteers 178 

XXV.     The  Riot ....      187 

MUHLBACH — A  VOL.   7 


IV 


CONTENTS. 


LAST  DAYS  OF  THE  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY. 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

XXVI. 

Victoria  de  Poutet,        ..... 

197 

XXVII. 

Rastadt  

.  210 

XXVIIL 

The  Justification,  

.       218 

XXIX. 

The  Assassination,     

.  228 

XXX 

Jean  Debry,  

.       235 

XXXI. 

The  Coalition,    

.  240 

XXXII. 

246 

XXXIII. 

The  Legitimate  Wife,       

.  254 

XXXIV. 

The  Eighteenth  of  Brumaire,        .        .         . 

.       262 

THE  PEACE  OF  LUNEVILLE. 

XXXV. 

270 

XXXVI. 

Thugut's  Fall,        

.       279 

XXXVII. 

286 

xxxvin. 

The  Rivals  

.       297 

XXXIX. 

311 

XL. 

The  First  Consul,   

.       321 

xu. 

Two  German  Savants  

.  333 

THE  THIRD  COALITION. 

XLII. 

The  Emperor  Napoleon,          .... 

345 

XLIII. 

Napoleon  and  the  German  Princes, 

.  356 

XLIV. 

Queen  Louisa's  Piano  Lesson, 

.       362 

XLV. 

The  Conference,         

.  369 

XLVI. 

The  Oath  at  the  Grave  of  Frederick  the  Great, 

.       378 

THE  FALL  OF  THE  GERMAN  EMPIRE. 

XLVII. 

Evil  Tidings,     ....... 

.  387 

XLVIII. 

Before  the  Battle,            

.       394 

XLIX. 

"  Gott  Erhalte  Franz  den  Kaiser  !  "  . 

.  400 

L. 

Patriotism,     

.       404 

LI. 

Judith  

.  416 

LII. 

Napoleon  and  the  Prussian  Minister,    . 

.       425 

LIII. 

Judith  and  Holof  ernes,     ..... 

.  433 

LIV 

The  Fall  of  the  German  Empire,           . 

.       446 

CONTENTS. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  JENA. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

LV.  A  German  Bookseller  and  Martyr,      ....      458 

LYI.     The  Arrest, 466 

LVII.     A  Wife's  Love, 470 

LVIII.     The  Women  of  Braunau, 477 

LIX.     The  Last'Hour, ,485 

LX.     Prussia's  Declaration  of  War, 490 

LXI.     A  Bad  Omen, 501 

LXII.     Before  the  Battle, 507 

LXIII.     The  German  Philosopher, 513 


LOUISA  OF  PRUSSIA  AND  HER  TIMES. 


OAMPO    FORMIO. 


CHAPTER   I. 

DREADFUL     TIDINGS. 

THE  population  of  Vienna  was  paralyzed  with  terror ;  a  heavy 
gloom  weighed  down  all  minds,  and  the  strength  of  the  stoutest 
hearts  seemed  broken.  Couriers  had  arrived  to-day  from  the 
camp  of  the  army,  and  brought  the  dreadful  tidings  of  an  over- 
whelming defeat  of  the  Austrian  forces.  Bonaparte,  the  young 
general  of  the  French  Republic,  who,  in  the  course  of  one  year 
(1796),  had  won  as  many  battles  and  as  much  glory  as  many  a  great 
and  illustrious  warrior  during  the  whole  course  of  an  eventful 
life — Bonaparte  had  crossed  the  Italian  Alps  with  the  serried  col- 
umns of  his  army,  and  the  most  trusted  military  leaders  of  Austria 
were  fleeing  before  him  in  dismay.  The  hero  of  Lodi  and  Arcole 
had  won  new  victories,  and  these  victories  constantly  diminished 
the  distance  between  his  army  and  the  menaced  capital  of  Austria. 

Archduke  Charles  had  been  defeated  by  Massena,  and  driven 
back  to  Villach ;  Bernadotte  had  reached  Laybach ;  the  citadels  of 
Goritz,  Triest,  and  Laybach  had  surrendered ;  Klagenfurth,  after 
a  most  desperate  struggle,  had  been  forced  to  open  its  gates  to  the 
conquerors ;  Loudon,  with  his  brave  troops,  had  been  dispersed  in 
the  Tyrol ;  Botzen  had  opened  its  gates  to  General  Joubert,  who, 
after  a  brief  sojourn,  left  that  city  in  order  to  join  Bonaparte, 
who,  in  his  victorious  career,  was  advancing  resistlessly  toward 
Vienna. 

Such  were  tidings  which  the  couriers  had  brought,  and  these 
tidings  were  well  calculated  to  produce  a  panic  in  the  Austrian 
capital.  While  the  court  and  the  nobility  were  concealing  their 
grief  and  their  sorrows  in  the  interior  of  their  palaces,  the  populace 


2  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

rushed  into  the  streets,  anxiously  inquiring  for  later  intelligence, 
and  still  hopeful  that  God  in  His  mercy  might  perhaps  send  down 
some  ray  of  light  that  would  dispel  this  gloom  of  anguish  and 
despair. 

But  a  pall  covered  Vienna,  and  everybody  looked  sad  and  de- 
jected. Suddenly  some  new  movement  of  terror  seemed  to  pervade 
the  crowd  that  had  gathered  on  the  Kohlmarkt.*  As  if  a  storm 
were  raising  up  the  waves  of  this  black  sea  of  human  figures, 
the  dense  mass  commenced  to  undulate  to  and  fro,  and  a  wail  of 
distress  arose,  growing  louder  and  louder,  until  it  finally  broke 
out  into  the  terrible  cry :  "  The  emperor  has  deserted  us !  the  em- 
peror and  the  empress  have  fled  from  Vienna !  " 

While  the  masses  were  bewailing  this  new  misfortune  with  the 
manifestations  of  despair,  while  they  assembled  in  small  groups 
to  comment  vociferously  on  this  last  and  most  dreadful  event  of 
the  day,  all  of  a  sudden  Hungarian  hussars  galloped  up  and  com- 
manded the  people,  in  the  most  peremptory  manner,  to  stand  aside 
and  to  open  a  passage  for  the  wagons  which  were  about  to  enter 
the  market  from  one  of  the  adjoining  streets. 

The  people,  intimidated  by  the  flashing  swords  and  harsh 
words  of  the  soldiers,  fell  back  and  gazed  with  an  expression  of 
anxious  suspense  upon  the  strange  procession  which  now  made  its 
appearance. 

This  procession  consisted  of  twelve  wagons,  apparently  not  des- 
tined to  receive  living  men,  but  the  remains  of  the  dead.  The 
broad  and  heavy  wheels  were  not  surmounted  by  ordinary  carriage- 
boxes,  but  by  immense  iron  trunks,  large  enough  to  enclose  a  coffin 
or  a  corpse ;  and  these  trunks  were  covered  with  heavy  blankets, 
the  four  corners  of  which  contained  the  imperial  crown  of  Austria 
in  beautiful  embroidery.  Every  one  of  these  strange  wagons  was 
drawn  by  six  horses,  mounted  by  jockeys  in  the  imperial  livery, 
while  the  hussars  of  the  emperor's  Hungarian  bodyguard  rode  in 
serried  ranks  on  both  sides. 

The  horses  drew  these  mysterious  wagons  slowly  and  heavily 
through  the  streets  ;  the  wheels  rolled  with  a  dull,  thundering  noise 
over  the  uneven  pavement ;  and  this  noise  resounded  in  the  ears 
and  hearts  of  the  pale  and  terrified  spectators  like  the  premonitory 
signs  of  some  new  thunderstorm. 

What  was  concealed  in  these  mysterious  wagons?  What  was 
taken  away  from  Vienna  in  so  careful  a  manner  and  guarded  so 
closely?  Everybody  was  asking  these  questions,  but  only  in  the 
depth  of  his  own  heart,  for  nobody  dared  to  interrupt  the  painful 
and  anxious  silence  by  a  loud  word  or  an  inquisitive  phrase. 
*  Cabbage-Market. 


DREADFUL   TIDINGS.  3 

Every  one  seemed  to  be  fascinated  by  the  forbidding  glances  of  the 
hussars,  and  stunned  by  the  dull  rumbling  of  the  wheels. 

But,  when  finally  the  last  wagon  had  disappeared  in  the  next 
street,  when  the  last  horseman  of  the  hussar  escort  had  left  the 
place,  the  eyes  of  the  anxious  spectators  turned  once  more  toward 
the  speakers  who  had  previously  addressed  them,  and  told  them  of 
the  misfortunes  of  Austria,  and  of  the  brilliant  victories  of  the 
youthful  French  General  Bonaparte. 

"What  do  those  wagons  contain?  "  shouted  the  crowd.  "We 
want  to  know  it,  and  we  must  know  it !  " 

"  If  you  must  know  it,  why  did  you  not  ask  the  soldiers  them- 
selves? "  shouted  a  sneering  voice  in  the  crowd. 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  another  voice,  "why  did  you  not  approach  the 
wagons  and  knock  at  the  trunks? — may  be  the  devil  would  have 
jumped  out  and  shown  you  his  pretty  face ! " 

The  people  paid  no  attention  to  these  sneering  remarks.  The 
painful  uncertainty,  the  anxious  excitement  continued  unabated, 
and  everybody  made  surmises  concerning  the  contents  of  the 
wagons. 

"  The  trunks  contain  perhaps  the  coffins  of  the  imperial  ancestors, 
which  have  been  removed  from  the  Kapuzinergruft,  in  order  to 
save  them  from  the  French,"  said  an  honest  tailor  to  his  neighbor, 
and  this  romantic  idea  rolled  immediately,  like  an  avalanche, 
through  the  vast  crowd. 

"They  are  removing  the  remains  of  the  old  emperors  from  Vi- 
enna !  "  wailed  the  crowd.  "  Even  the  tombs  are  no  longer  safe ! 
They  are  saving  the  corpses  of  the  emperors,  but  they  are  forsak- 
ing us — the  living !  They  abandon  us  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
enemy  !  All  who  have  not  got  the  money  to  escape  are  lost !  The 
French  will  come  and  kill  us  all !  " 

"  We  will  not  permit  it !  "  shouted  a  stentorian  voice.  "  We  want 
to  keep  the  remains  of  Maria  Theresa  and  of  the  great  Emperor 
Joseph  here  in  Vienna.  As  long  as  they  lived  they  loved  the 
people  of  the  capital,  and  they  will  protect  us  in  death.  Come, 
brethren,  come ;  let  us  follow  the  wagons — let  us  stop  them  and 
take  the  bodies  back  to  the  Kapuzinergrvft. "  * 

"  Yes,  let  us  follow  the  wagons  and  stop  them, "  yelled  the  crowd, 
which  now,  when  it  could  no  longer  see  the  flashing  and  threaten- 
ing weapons  of  the  soldiers,  felt  exceedingly  brave. 

Suddenly,  however,  these  furious  shouts  and  yells  were  inter- 
rupted by  a  powerful  voice  which  ordered  the  people  to  desist,  and 
they  beheld  a  tall  man  who,  with  cat-like  agility,  climbed  upon 
the  iron  lamp-post  in  the  centre  of  the  square. 
*  Vaults  of  the  Capuchins. 


4  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

."Stop,  stop!"  roared  this  man,  extending  his  arms  over  the 
crowd  as  if,  a  new  Moses,  he  wanted  to  allay  the  fury  of  the  sea 
and  cause  it  to  stand  still. 

The  crowd  instantly  obeyed  this  tremendous  voice,  and  all  these 
indignant,  anxious,  and  terrified  faces  now  turned  toward  the 
speaker  who  stood  above  them  on  top  of  the  lamp-post. 

"Don't  make  fools  of  yourselves,"  said  he — "don't  give  these 
Hungarians — who  would  be  only  too  glad  to  quench  their  present 
rage  in  German  blood — a  chance  to  break  your  bones.  Have  you 
any  arms  to  compel  them  to  show  you  the  wagons  and  their  con- 
tents? And  even  if  you  were  armed,  the  soldiers  would  overpower 
you,  for  most  of  you  would  run  away  as  soon  as  a  fight  broke  out, 
and  the  balance  of  you  would  be  taken  to  the  calaboose.  I  will  do 
you  the  favor,  however,  to  tell  you  all  about  those  wagons.  Do 
you  want  to  know  it?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  we  do !  "  shouted  the  crowd,  emphatically.  "  Be  quiet 
over  there  ! — Stop  your  noise  !— Do  not  cry  so  loud  ! — Hush  ! — Let  us 
hear  what  is  in  the  wagons.  — Silence,  silence  !  " 

Profound  silence  ensued — everybody  held  his  breath  and  listened. 

"Well,  then,  listen  to  me.  These  wagons  do  not  contain  the 
remains  of  the  former  emperors,  but  the  gold  and  the  jewels  of  the 
present  emperor.  It  is  the  state  treasure  which  those  hussars  are 
escorting  from  Vienna  to  Presburg,  because  the  government  deems 
it  no  longer  safe  here.  Just  think  of  what  we  have  come  to  now- 
a-days !  Our  imperial  family,  and  even  the  state  treasure,  must 
flee  from  Vienna !  And  whose  fault  is  it  that  we  have  to  suffer  all 
this?  Who  has  brought  these  French  down  upon  us?  Who  is  in- 
undating all  Austria  with  war  and  its  calamities?  Shall  I  tell  you 
who  is  doing  it?  " 

"  Yes,  tell  us,  tell  us !  "  shouted  the  crowd.  "  Woe  unto  him 
who  has  plunged  Austria  into  war  and  distress,  and  caused  the 
flight  of  the  emperor  and  the  removal  of  the  treasure  from 
Vienna ! " 

The  speaker  waited  until  the  angry  waves  of  the  people's  wrath 
had  subsided  again,  and  then  said  in  the  clear,  ringing  tones  of 
his  powerful  voice :  "  It  is  the  fault  of  our  prime  minister,  Baron 
von  Thugut.  He  don't  want  us  to  make  peace  with  the  French. 
He  would  rather  ruin  us  all  than  to  make  peace  with  the  French 
Republic." 

"  But  we  don't  want  to  be  ruined  I  "  shouted  the  crowd — "  we  don't 
want  to  be  led  to  the  shambles  like  sheep.  No,  no ;  we  want  peace 
— peace  with  France.  Prime  Minister  Thugut  shall  give  us  peace 
•with  France !  " 

"You  had  better  go  and  inform  the  proud  minister  himself  of 


MINISTER   VON   THUGUT.  5 

what  you  want,"  said  the  speaker  with  a  sneer.  "First  compel 
him  to  do  what  the  emperor  and  even  our  brave  Archduke  Charles 
wanted  to  be  done — compel  the  omnipotent  minister  to  make 
peace. " 

"  We  will  go  and  ask  him  to  give  us  peace, "  said  several  voices 
in  the  crowd. 

"  Yes,  yes,  we  will  do  that !  "  shouted  others.  "  Come,  come  ; 
let  us  all  go  to  the  minister's  house  and  ask  him  to  give  us  back 
the  emperor  and  the  state  treasure,  and  to  make  peace  with  Bona- 
parte. " 

The  speaker  now  descended  hurriedly  from  the  lamp-post.  His 
tall,  herculean  figure,  however,  towered  above  the  crowd  even  after 
his  feet  had  touched  the  pavement. 

"Come,"  said  he  to  the  bystanders  in  a  loud  and  decided  tone, 
"I  will  take  you  to  the  minister's  house,  for  I  know  where  he  lives, 
and  we  will  shout  and  raise  such  a  storm  there  until  the  proud 
gentleman  condescends  to  comply  with  our  wishes. " 

He  led  the  way  rapidly,  and  the  crowd,  always  easily  guided 
and  pliable,  followed  its  improvised  leader  with  loud  acclamations. 
Only  one  idea,  only  one  wish,  animated  all  these  men  :  they  wanted 
peace  with  France,  lest  Bonaparte  might  come  to  Vienna  and  lay 
their  beautiful  capital  in  ashes  in  the  same  manner  in  which  he 
had  treated  so  many  Italian  cities. 

Their  leader  walked  proudly  at  the  head  of  the  irregular  proces- 
sion, and  as  the  crowd  continued  to  shout  and  yell,  "Peace  with 
France !  "  he  muttered,  "  I  think  I  have  accomplished  a  good  deal 
to-day.  The  archduke  will  be  satisfied  with  what  I  have  done,  and 
we  may  compel  the  minister  after  all  to  make  peace  with  France. " 


CHAPTER   II. 

MINISTER    VON    THUGUT. 

THE  prime  minister,  Baron  von  Thugut,  was  in  his  cabinet,  in 
eager  consultation  with  the  new  police  minister,  Count  von  Saurau, 
who  had  given  him  an  account  of  the  safe  removal  of  the  imperial 
state  treasure  which,  like  the  emperor  and  the  empress,  had  set 
out  for  Hungary. 

"  All  right !  all  right !  "  said  Thugut,  with  a  sinister  chuckle. 
"In  Hungary  both  will  be  safe  enough,  for  I  think  I  have  intimi- 
dated the  Hungarians  so  much  that  they  will  remain  very  quiet 
and  very  humble. " 

"  Your  excellency  refers  to  the  conspiracy  which  we  discovered 


6  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

there  two  years  ago, "  said  Count  Saurau,  smiling,  "  and  which  the 
accursed  traitors  expiated  on  the  gallows !  " 

"  De  mortuis  nil  nisi  bene  !  "  exclaimed  Thugut.  "  We  are  under 
many  obligations  to  these  excellent  traitors,  for  they  have  enabled 
us  to  render  the  Hungarians  submissive,  just  as  the  traitors  who 
conspired  here  at  Vienna  two  years  ago  enabled  us  to  do  the  same 
thing  to  the  population  of  the  capital.  A  conspiracy  discovered 
by  the  authorities  is  always  a  good  thing,  because  it  furnishes  us 
with  an  opportunity  to  make  an  example,  to  tell  the  nation  through 
the  bloody  heads  of  the  conspirators  :  '  Thus,  thus,  all  will  be  treated 
who  dare  to  plot  against  the  government  and  against  their  masters  ! ' 
The  Viennese  have  grown  very  humble  and  obedient  since  the  day 
they  saw  Hebenstreit,  the  commander  of  the  garrison,  on  the  scaf- 
fold, and  Baron  Riedel,  the  tutor  of  the  imperial  children,  at  the 
pillory.  And  the  Hungarians,  too,  have  learned  to  bow  their  heads 
ever  since  the  five  noble  conspirators  were  beheaded  on  the  Gene- 
ralwiese,  in  front  of  the  citadel  of  Ofen.  Believe  me,  count,  that 
day  has  contributed  more  to  the  submissiveness  of  Hungary  than 
all  the  favors  and  privileges  which  the  Emperors  of  Austria  have 
bestowed  upon  the  Magyars.  Nations  are  always  frivolous  and  im- 
pudent children :  he  who  tries  to  educate  them  tenderly  is  sure  to 
spoil  them ;  but  raise  them  in  fear  and  trembling,  and  they  will 
become  quiet  and  obedient  men.  And  for  that  reason,  I  tell  you 
once  more,  don't  call  those  men,  now  that  they  are  dead,  accursed 
traitors,  for  they  have  been  very  useful  to  us ;  they  have  been  the 
instrument  with  which  we  have  chastised  the  whole  overbearing 
people  of  Austria  and  Hungary,  and  those  were  blessed  days  for  us 
when  we  mowed  down  the  high-born  traitors  of  both  countries.  The 
sword  of  our  justice  performed  a  noble  work  on  that  day,  for  it 
struck  down  a  savant  and  a  poet,  a  count  and  a  distinguished  pre- 
late. Oh,  what  a  pity  that  there  was  no  prince  among  them !" 

"Well,  a  prince  might  have  been  found  likewise,"  said  Count 
Saurau,  "and  perhaps  he  may  get  into  our  meshes  on  some  other 
occasion.  Your  excellency  is  an  adroit  hunter. " 

"And  you  are  an  excellent  pointer  for  me.  You  scent  such 
things  on  the  spot, "  Count  Thugut  exclaimed,  and  broke  out  into 
a  loud  burst  of  laughter. 

Count  Saurau  laughed  also,  and  took  good  care  not  to  betray 
how  cruelly  the  joke  had  wounded  his  aristocratic  pride.  The 
Austrian  aristocracy  was  accustomed  to  such  insults  at^the  hands 
of  the  powerful  and  proud  prime  minister,  and  everybody  knew 
that  Thugut,  the  son  of  a  poor  ship-builder,  in  the  midst  of  his 
greatness,  liked  to  recall  his  modest  descent,  and  to  humble  the 
nobility  through  the  agency  of  the  ship- builder's  son. 


MINISTER   VON   THUGUT.  7 

"Your  excellency  will  permit  me  to  render  myself  at  once  worthy 
of  the  praise  you  have  kindly  bestowed  upon  me,"  said  the  police 
minister,  after  a  short  pause.  "I  believe  we  have  discovered  an- 
other conspiracy  here.  True,  it  is  only  an  embryo  as  yet,  but  it 
may  grow  into  something  if  we  give  it  the  necessary  time." 

"What  is  it,  Saurau? "  said  Thugut,  joyfully — "tell  me  at  once 
what  it  is!  A  conspiracy — a  good,  sound  conspiracy?  " 

"Yes,  a  most  malignant  and  important  conspiracy  !  A  conspir- 
acy against  your  excellency's  life !  " 

"Bah! — is  that  all?"  said  Thugut  carelessly,  and  with  evident 
disappointment.  "I  was  in  hopes  that  by  this  time  you  would 
hand  over  to  me  some  high-born  aristocrats  who  had  held  secret 
intercourse  with  that  execrable  French  Republic.  It  would  have 
been  a  splendid  example  for  all  those  hare-brained  fools  who  are  so 
fond  of  repeating  the  three  talismanic  words  of  the  republican 
regicides,  and  who  are  crazy  with  delight  when  talking  of  liberte, 
egalite,  fraternite.  I  would  have  liked  to  chastise  a  few  of  these 
madmen,  in  order  to  put  a  stop  to  the  prevailing  republican  enthu- 
siasm. But  instead  of  that,  you  talk  to  me  of  a  conspiracy  only 
aimed  at  myself  !  " 

"  Only  at  yourself !  "  repeated  the  count,  with  great  indignation. 
"As  if  it  were  not  the  most  dreadful  calamity  for  Austria  if  she 
should  be  deprived  of  your  services.  You  know  that  we  are  stand- 
ing on  the  verge  of  a  precipice ;  in  the  interior,  the  liberal  and 
seditious  desires  which  the  senseless  reforms  of  the  Emperor  Joseph 
have  stirred  up,  are  still  prevalent,  and  the  people  only  submit  with 
reluctance  and  with  spiteful  feelings  to  the  reforms  which  your 
excellency  has  inaugurated  with  a  view  to  the  best  interests  of 
Austria.  Abroad,  on  the  other  hand,  the  blood-stained  French  Re- 
public incites  the  malecontents  to  imitate  its  own  infamies ;  they 
would  like  to  see  the  victorious  banners  of  General  Bonaparte  here 
in  order  to  have  his  assistance  in  establishing  a  republican  govern- 
ment in  Austria." 

"  It  is  true, "  said  Thugut,  "  the  Austrian  empire,  at  the  present 
time,  is  exposed  to  great  dangers  from  within  and  without ;  the 
reins  must  be  held  very  firmly  in  order  to  conduct  the  ship  of  state 
safely  through  the  breakers,  and  I  believe  I  am  the  man  to  do  it. 
You  see,  count,  I  do  not  underrate  my  own  importance.  I  know 
only  too  well  that  Austria  needs  me.  Still,  the  plots  and  conspira- 
cies that  are  merely  directed  against  myself,  make  me  laugh.  For 
let  me  tell  you,  my  dear  little  count,  I  really  fancy  that  my  person 
has  nothing  to  fear  either  from  daggers,  or  from  pistols,  or  from 
poisoned  cups.  Do  you  believe  in  a  Providence,  count?  Ah! — 
you  look  surprised,  and  wonder  how  such  a  question  could  fall  from 


8  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

infidel  lips  like  mine.  Yes,  yes,  I  am  an  infidel,  and  I  honestly 
confess  that  the  heaven  of  Mohammed,  where  you  are  smoking 
your  chibouk,  seated  on  cushions  of  clouds,  while  houris,  radiant 
with  beauty,  are  tickling  the  soles  of  your  feet  with  rosy  fingers, 
appears  to  me  by  far  more  desirable  than  the  Christian  heaven  where 
you  are  to  stand  in  eternal  idleness  before  the  throne  of  God  Al- 
mighty, singing  hymns,  and  praising  His  greatness.  Ah !  during 
the  happy  days  of  my  sojourn  at  Constantinople,  I  have  had  a  slight 
foretaste  of  the  heaven  of  Mohammed ;  and  again,  in  the  tedious 
days  of  Maria  Theresa,  I  have  had  a  foretaste  of  the  heaven  of 
Christianity !" 

"And  which  Providence  did  your  excellency  refer  to?"  asked 
Saurau.  "I  pray  your  excellency  to  tell  me,  because  your  faith  is 
to  be  the  model  of  mine. " 

"I  believe  in  a  Providence  that  never  does  any  thing  in  vain, 
and  never  creates  great  men  in  order  to  let  them  be  crushed,  like 
flies,  by  miserable  monkeys.  That  is  the  reason  why  I  am  not 
afraid  of  any  conspiracy  against  myself.  Providence  has  created 
me  to  be  useful  to  Austria,  and  to  be  her  bulwark  against  the  surg- 
ing waves  of  the  revolution,  and  against  the  victorious  legions  of 
General  Bonaparte.  I  am  an  instrument  of  Providence,  and  there- 
fore it  will  protect  me  as  long  as  it  needs  me.  But  if,  some  day, 
it  should  need  me  no  longer,  if  it  intended  then  that  I  should  fall, 
all  my  precautions  would  be  fruitless,  and  all  your  spies,  my  dear 
count,  would  be  unable  to  stay  the  hand  of  the  assassin. " 

"  You  want  me  to  understand,  then,  that  no  steps  whatever  are 
to  be  taken  against  the  criminals  conspiring  against  your  excel- 
lency's life?" 

"  By  no  means,  count — indeed,  that  would  be  an  exaggeration  of 
fatalism.  I  rely  greatly  on  your  sagacity  and  on  the  vigilance  of 
your  servants,  count.  Let  them  watch  the  stupid  populace — see  to 
it  that  faux  fr&res  always  attend  the  meetings  of  my  enemies,  and 
whenever  they  inform  you  of  conspiracies  against  myself,  why,  the 
malefactors  shall  be  spirited  away  without  any  superfluous  noise. 
Thank  God,  we  have  fortresses  and  state  prisons,  with  walls  too  thick 
for  shrieks  or  groans  to  penetrate,  and  that  no  one  is  able  to  break 
through.  The  public  should  learn  as  little  as  possible  of  the  fate  of 
these  criminals.  The  public  punishment  of  an  assassin  .vho  failed 
to  strike  me,  only  instigates  ten  others  to  try  if  they  cannot  hit  me 
better.  But  the  noiseless  disappearance  of  a  culprit  fills  their  cow- 
ardly souls  with  horror  and  dismay,  and  the  ten  men  shrink  back 
from  the  intended  deed,  merely  because  they  do  not  know  in  what 
manner  their  eleventh  accomplice  has  expiated  his  crime.  The  dis- 
appearance of  prisoners,  the  oubliettes,  are  just  what  is  needed. 


MINISTEE   VON   THUGUT.  9 

You  must  quietly  remove  your  enemies  and  adversaries — it  must 
seem  as  if  some  hidden  abyss  had  ingulfed  them  ;  everybody,  then, 
will  think  this  abyss  might  open  one  day  before  his  own  feet,  and 
he  grows  cautious,  uneasy,  and  timid.  Solely  by  the  wisdom  of 
secret  punishments,  and  through  the  terror  inspired  by  its  mysteri- 
ous tribunals,  Venice  has  been  able  to  prolong  her  existence  for  so 
many  centuries.  Because  the  spies  of  the  Three  were  believed  to  be 
ubiquitous — and  because  everybody  was  afraid  of  the  two  lions  on 
the  Piazzetta,  the  Venetians  obeyed  these  invisible  rulers  whom 
they  did  not  know,  and  whose  avenging  hand  was  constantly  hang- 
ing over  them. " 

"  Now,  however,  it  seems  that  a  visible  hand,  a  hand  of  iron,  is 
going  to  strike  away  the  invisible  hands  of  the  Three, "  said  Count 
Saurau,  quickly.  "  Bonaparte  seems  to  desire  to  force  Venice,  too, 
into  the  pale  of  his  Italian  republics.  The  city  is  full  of  French 
emissaries,  who,  by  means  of  the  most  eloquent  and  insidious  ap- 
peals, try  to  bring  about  a  rising  of  the  Venetians  against  their 
rulers,  in  order — but  hark !"  said  the  count,  suddenly  interrupting 
himself.  "What  is  that?  Don't  you  hear  the  clamor  in  the  street, 
right  under  our  window?" 

He  paused,  and,  like  the  minister,  turned  his  eyes  and  ears 
toward  the  window.  A  confused  noise,  loud  shouts  and  yells,  re- 
sounded below. 

The  two  ministers,  without  uttering  a  word,  arose  from  their 
arm-chairs  and  hurried  to  one  of  the  windows,  which  looked  upon 
the  wide  street  extending  from  the  Kohlmarkt  to  the  minister's 
palace.  A  vast  mass  of  heads,  broad  shoulders,  and  uplifted  arms, 
was  visible  there,  and  the  angry  roar  of  the  excited  populace  was 
approaching  already  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  palace. 

"It  seems,  indeed,  as  if  these  honorable  representatives  of  the 
people,  intended  to  pay  me  a  visit, "  said  Thugut,  with  great  com- 
posure. "Just  listen  how  the  fellows  are  roaring  my  name,  as  if  it 
were  the  refrain  of  some  rollicking  beer-song  1" 

"Why,  it  is  a  regular  riot!"  exclaimed  the  police  minister, 
angrily.  "  Your  excellency  will  permit  me  to  withdraw — " 

He  left  the  window  hastily,  and  took  his  hat,  but  Thugut's  vig- 
orous hand  kept  him  back. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  count?"  said  he,  smiling. 

"  To  the  governor  of  Vienna, "  said  Saurau.  "  I  want  to  ask  him 
why  he  permits  this  nonsense,  and  order  him  to  disperse  the  rabble 
in  the  most  summary  manner !" 

"  Pray,  stay  here, "  said  Thugut,  quietly.  "  The  governor  of  Vi- 
enna is  a  man  of  great  sagacity,  who  knows  perfectly  well  how  we 
have  to  treat  the  people.  Why,  it  would  be  an  unparalleled  tyranny 


10  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

if  the  poor  people  were  not  even  allowed  to  give  the  prime  minister 
their  good  advice,  and  tell  him  what  they  think  of  the  state  of 
affairs.  Just  give  them  this  permission,  and  they  will  believe  they 
have  performed  a  most  heroic  deed,  and  it  will  seem  to  them  as  if 
they  could  boast  of  great  liberty.  True  political  wisdom,  my  dear 
little  count,  commands  us  to  give  the  people  a  semblance  of  liberty  ; 
we  thereby  succeed  in  dazzling  their  eyes  so  well  that  they  do  not 
perceive  that  they  have  no  real  liberty  whatever. " 

The  clamor  and  noise  in  the  street  below  had  increased  in  fury. 
The  people,  whose  dense  masses  now  entirely  obstructed  the  street, 
impetuously  moved  up  to  the  portal  of  the  ministerial  palace,  the 
front  door  of  which  had  been  locked  and  barred  already  by  the  cau- 
tious porter.  Vigorous  fists  hammered  violently  against  the  door, 
and  as  an  accompaniment  to  this  terrible  music  of  their  leaders,  the 
people  howled  and  yelled  their  furious  refrain :  "  We  want  to  see 
the  minister !  He  shall  give  us  peace  !  peace  !  peace !" 

"  Ah  !  I  know  what  it  means  !"  exclaimed  Count  Saurau,  gnash- 
ing his  teeth.  "Your  enemies  have  instigated  these  scoundrels. 
The  party  that  would  like  to  overthrow  you  and  me,  that  wants  to 
make  peace  with  France  at  any  price,  and  to  keep  Belgium  united 
with  Austria— this  party  has  hired  the  villains  below  to  get  up  a 
riot.  They  want  to  compel  your  excellency  either  to  resign  or  to 
comply  with  the  wishes  of  the  people,  and  make  peace  with  the 
French  Republic." 

Thugut  laughed.     "  Compel  me  !  "  said  he,  laconically. 

At  that  moment  the  mob  yelled  louder  than  ever,  and  the  shout — 
"Peace  !  we  want  peace  !"  shook  the  windows. 

Simultaneously  the  furious  blows  against  the  front  door  redou- 
bled in  violence. 

"Assuredly,  I  cannot  stand  this  any  longer  !"  exclaimed  the  police 
minister,  perfectly  beside  himself.  "  I  ought  not  to  listen  quietly  to 
this  outrage. " 

"No,"  said  Thugut,  very  quietly,  "we  won't  listen  to  it  any 
longer.  This  is  my  breakfast- hour,  and  I  invite  you  to  be  my  guest. 
Come,  let  us  go  to  the  dining-room. " 

He  took  the  count's  arm,  and  proceeded  with  him  to  the  adjoin- 
ing room.  Breakfast  for  eight  persons  was  served  in  this  room,  for 
Baron  Thugut  was  in  the  habit  of  keeping  every  day  open  table  for 
seven  uninvited  guests,  and  his  intimate  acquaintances,  as  well  as 
his  special  favorites,  never  failed  to  call  on  the  minister  at  least 
once  a  week  during  his  well-known  breakfast  and  dinner  hours. 

To-day,  however,  the  minister's  rapid  and  inquisitive  glances 
did  not  discover  a  single  guest.  Nobody  was  in  the  room  except  the 
eight  footmen  who  stood  behind  the  chairs.  Well  aware  of  their 


THE   INTERVIEW.  11 

master's  stern  and  indomitable  spirit,  they  occupied  their  usual 
places,  but  their  faces  were  very  pale,  and  their  eyes  turned  with 
an  expression  of  extreme  anxiety  toward  the  windows  which,  just 
then,  trembled  again  under  the  heavy,  thundering  blows  levelled 
at  the  front  door. 

"Cowards  !"  muttered  Thugut,  while  walking  to  his  chair  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  table  and  beckoning  Count  Saurau  to  take  a  seat  at 
his  side. 

At  this  moment,  however,  the  door  was  hastily  opened,  and  the 
steward,  pale  and  with  distorted  features,  rushed  into  the  room. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  INTERVIEW. 

"  EXCUSE  me,  your  excellency, "  said  he,  "  but  this  time  they  are 
assuredly  in  earnest.  The  people  are  storming  the  front  door — the 
hinges  are  beginning  to  give  way,  and  in  fifteen  minutes,  at  the 
latest,  the  scoundrels  will  have  forced  an  entrance  !" 

"You  had  no  business  to  close  the  door,"  said  the  minister. 
"Who  ordered  you  to  do  so?  Who  ordered  you  to  barricade  the 
house,  as  if  it  were  a  fortress — as  if  we  had  a  bad  conscience  and 
were  afraid  of  the  people?" 

The  steward  looked  aghast,  and  did  not  know  what  to  reply. 

"Go  down-stairs  at  once, "  continued  the  minister;  "order  the 
porter  to  open  the  door,  and  admit  everybody.  Show  the  people 
up-stairs ;  and  you  rascals  who  are  standing  there  with  pale  faces 
and  trembling  knees,  open  the  two  folding-doors  so  that  they  can 
get  in  without  hurting  each  other.  Now  do  what  I  have  told  you. " 

The  steward  bowed  with  a  sigh  expressive  of  the  agony  he  felt, 
and  hurriedly  left  the  room. 

The  footmen,  meanwhile,  hastened  to  open  the  folding-doors  of 
the  dining-room,  as  well  as  those  of  the  antechamber.  The  two 
gentlemen  at  the  table  obtaining  thereby  a  full  view  of  the  landing 
of  the  large  staircase,  directly  in  front  of  the  open  door  of  the  first 
room. 

"And  now,  Germain,"  said  Thugut  to  the  footman  behind  his 
chair,  "now  let  us  have  our  breakfast.  Be  wise,  my  dear  count, 
and  follow  my  example ;  take  some  of  this  sherbet.  It  cools  the 
blood,  and,  at  the  same  time,  is  quite  invigorating.  Drink,  dear 
count,  drink  !  Ah  !  just  see,  my  cook  has  prepared  for  us  to-day  a 
genuine  Turkish  meal,  for  there  is  a  turkey  boiled  with  rice  and 
paprica.  The  chief  cook  of  the  grand  vizier  himself  furnished  me 


12  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

the  receipt  for  this  exquisite  dish,  and  I  may  venture  to  assert  that 
you  might  look  for  it  everywhere  in  Vienna  without  finding  it  so 
well  prepared  as  at  my  table. " 

Heavy  footsteps  and  confused  voices  were  now  heard  on  the  stair- 
case. 

"  They  are  coming — they  really  dare  to  enter  here  !"  said  Count 
Saurau,  trembling  with  anger.  "Pardon  me,  your  excellency;  I 
admire  your  heroic  equanimity,  but  I  am  unable  to  imitate  it.  It 
is  an  utter  impossibility  for  me  to  sit  here  calmly  and  passively, 
while  a  gang  of  criminals  is  bold  enough  to  break  into  your  house  !" 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  count ;  these  people  did  not  break  into  my 
house,  but  I  voluntarily  opened  the  door  to  admit  them, "  said  Baron 
Thugut,  coolly.  "  And  as  far  as  your  official  position  is  concerned, 
I  pray  you  to  forget  it  for  half  an  hour,  and  remember  only  that  I 
have  the  honor  of  seeing  you — a  rare  guest — at  my  table.  Let  me 
beg  you  to  take  some  of  that  fowl ;  it  is  really  delicious  !" 

Count  Saurau,  heaving  a  loud  sigh,  took  a  piece  of  the  fowl 
which  Germain  presented  to  him,  and  laid  it  on  the  silver  plate  that 
stood  before  him.  But  just  as  he  was  going  to  taste  the  first  morsel, 
he  hesitated,  and  looked  steadily  through  the  open  doors.  Several 
heads  with  shaggy  hair  and  flashing  eyes  emerged  above  the  railing 
of  the  staircase ;  many  others  followed — now  the  entire  figures  be- 
came visible,  and  in  the  next  moment,  from  twenty  to  thirty  wild- 
looking  men  reached  the  landing,  behind  whom,  on  the  staircase,  a 
dense  mass  of  other  heads  rose  to  the  surface. 

But  the  loud  shouts,  the  fierce  swearing  and  yelling,  had  ceased  ; 
the  awe  with  which  the  intruders  were  filled  by  the  aristocratic 
appearance  of  every  thing  they  beheld,  had  hushed  their  voices,  and 
even  the  intrepid  orator,  who  previously,  on  the  KohlmarJct,  had 
excited  the  people  to  commit  acts  of  violence,  and  brought  them  to 
the  minister's  house — even  he  stood  now  hesitating  and  undecided, 
at  the  door  of  the  dining-room,  casting  glances  full  of  savage  hatred 
and  rage  into  the  interior. 

Thugut  took  apparently  no  notice  whatever  of  what  was  going 
on  ;  his  breakfast  entirely  absorbed  him,  and  he  devoted  his  whole 
attention  to  a  large  piece  of  the  turkey,  which  he  seemed  to  relish 
greatly. 

Count  Saurau  merely  feigned  to  eat,  and  looked  steadfastly  at  his 
plate,  as  he  did  not  want  the  rioters  to  read  in  his  eyes  the  furious 
wrath  that  filled  his  breast. 

The  men  of  the  people  did  not  seem  to  feel  quite  at  ease  on  be- 
holding this  strange  and  unexpected  scene,  which  all  of  a  sudden 
commenced  to  cool  their  zeal  and  heroism,  like  a  wet  blanket.  They 
had  triumphantly  penetrated  into  the  palace,  shouting  vociferously, 


THE   INTERVIEW.  13 

and  quite  sure  that  the  minister  would  appear  before  them  trembling 
and  begging  for  mercy ;  and  now,  to  their  utter  amazement,  they 
beheld  him  sitting  very  calmly  at  the  breakfast -table  ! 

There  was  something  greatly  embarrassing  for  the  poor  men  in 
this  position.  They  suddenly  grew  quite  sober,  and  even  intimi- 
dated, and  many  of  those  who  had  ascended  the  staircase  so  boister- 
ously and  triumphantly,  now  deemed  it  prudent  to  withdraw  as 
quietly  as  possible.  The  number  of  the  heads  that  had  appeared 
above  the  balusters  was  constantly  decreasing,  and  only  about  twenty 
of  the  most  resolute  and  intrepid  remained  at  the  door  of  the  ante- 
room. 

At  length,  the  speaker  who  had  addressed  them  on  the  Kohlmarkt, 
conscious  of  his  pledges  and  of  the  reward  promised  to  him,  over- 
came his  momentary  bashfulness  and  stepped  boldly  into  the  ante- 
room, where  the  others,  encouraged  by  his  example,  followed  him 
at  once. 

Baron  Thugut  now  raised  his  eyes  with  an  air  of  great  indiffer- 
ence from  his  plate  and  glanced  at  the  men  who  with  noisy  steps 
approached  through  the  anteroom.  Then  turning  to  the  footman 
behind  him,  he  said,  in  a  loud  voice  : 

"Germain,  go  and  ask  these  gentlemen  if  they  want  to  see  me? 
Ask  them  likewise  whom  you  will  have  the  honor  to  announce  to 
your  master?" 

The  men,  overhearing  these  words,  grew  still  more  confused 
when  the  servant  in  his  gorgeous  livery  stepped  up  to  them,  and, 
with  a  most  condescending  smile,  informed  them  of  the  errand  his 
master  had  given  to  him. 

But  now  it  was  out  of  the  question  to  withdraw,  as  there  was 
nothing  left  to  them  but  to  arm  themselves  with  whatever  pluck  and 
boldness  they  had  at  their  command  in  order  to  carry  out  the  rule 
they  had  undertaken  to  play  in  the  most  becoming  manner. 

"Yes,"  said  the  speaker  of  the  Kohlmarkt,  loudly  and  resolutely, 
"we  want  to  see  the  minister;  and  as  for  our  names,  I  am  Mr. 
Wenzel,  of  the  tailors'  guild ;  my  neighbor  here  is  Mr.  Kahlbaum, 
also  a  tailor  ;  and  others  may  mention  their  own  names,  so  that  this 
polite  gentleman  may  answer  them  to  his  excellency." 

But  none  of  the  other  men  complied  with  this  request ;  on  the 
contrary,  all  looked  timidly  aside,  a  misgiving  dawning  in  their 
mmds  that  such  a  loud  announcement  of  their  names  might  not  be 
altogether  without  danger  for  them. 

Germain  did  not  wait  for  the  final  conclusion,  but  hastily  returned 
to  his  master,  in  order  to  inform  him  of  what  he  had  heard. 

"Mr.  Wenzel,  of  the  tailors'  guild,  Mr.  Tailor  Kahlbaum,  and 
the  other  gentlemen,  whatever  their  names  may  be,  are  welcome, " 


14  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

said  the  minister,  aloud,  but  without  interrupting  his  meal  for  a 
single  moment. 

The  men  thereupon  advanced  to  the  door  of  the  dining-room. 
But  here  a  proud  and  imperious  glance  from  the  minister  caused 
them  suddenly  to  halt. 

"  I  believe  you  have  breakfasted  already  ?"  asked  Thugut. 

"Yes,  we  have  breakfasted  already,"  replied  Mr.  Wenzel,  in  a 
surly  voice. 

"Well,  unluckily,  I  have  not,  and  so  I  request  you  to  let  me 
finish  my  breakfast  first,"  said  Thugut,  attacking  once  more  the 
wing  of  the  turkey  on  his  plate. 

A  long  pause  ensued.  The  men  stood  in  the  most  painful  embar- 
rassment at  the  door,  where  the  minister's  stern  glance  had  arrested 
them,  and  a  most  unpleasant  apprehension  of  what  might  be  the 
result  of  this  scene  began  to  take  hold  of  their  minds.  Flashing 
sword-blades  and  muskets  aimed  at  their  breasts  would  not  have 
frightened  them  so  much  as  the  aspect  of  the  calm,  proud,  and  for- 
bidding figure  of  the  minister,  and  the  utter  indifference,  the  feel- 
ing of  perfect  security  with  which  he  took  his  breakfast  in  full  view 
of  a  seditious  mob  filled  the  rioters  with  serious  apprehensions  for 
the  safety  of  their  own  persons. 

"I  am  sure  a  good  many  soldiers  and  policemen  are  hidden  about 
the  palace,"  thought  Mr.  Wenzel,  "and  that  is  the  reason  why  he 
permitted  us  to  enter,  and  why  he  is  now  so  calm  and  unconcerned ; 
for  as  soon  as  we  get  into  the  dining-room,  those  fine-looking  foot- 
men will  lock  the  door  behind,  and  the  soldiers  will  rush  out  of  that 
other  door  and  arrest  us. " 

These  pleasant  reflections  were  interrupted  by  another  terrible 
glance  from  the  minister,  which  caused  poor  Mr.  Wenzel  to  tremble 
violently. 

"Now,  gentlemen,  if  you  please,  come  in;  I  have  finished  my 
breakfast, "  said  Thugut,  with  perfect  coolness.  "  I  am  quite  ready 
and  anxious  to  hear  what  you  wish  to  say  to  me.  So,  come  in, 
come  in !" 

The  men  who  stood  behind  Mr.  Wenzel  moved  forward,  but  the 
tall,  herculean  figure  of  the  member  of  the  tailors'  guild  resisted 
them  and  compelled  them  to  stand  still. 

"No,  I  beg  your  excellency's  pardon,"  said  Mr.  Wenzel,  fully 
determined  not  to  cross  the  fatal  threshold  of  the  dining-room,  "  it 
would  not  become  poor  men  like  us  to  enter  your  excellency's  din- 
ing-room. Our  place  is  in  the  anteroom — there  we  will  wait  until 
your  excellency  will  condescend  to  listen  to  us. " 

This  humble  language,  this  tremulous  voice,  that  did  not  tally 
at  all  with  the  air  of  a  lion-hearted  and  outspoken  popular  leader, 


THE   INTERVIEW.  15 

which  Mr.  Wenzel  had  assumed  in  the  street,  struck  terror  and  con- 
sternation into  the  souls  of  the  men  who  had  so  rashly  followed  him 
into  the  palace. 

The  minister  rose ;  his  broad-shouldered  figure  loomed  up  proudly, 
a  sarcastic  smile  played  on  his  angular  and  well-marked  features ; 
his  shaggy  white  eyebrows  convulsively  contracted  up  to  this  mo- 
ment— the  only  outward  symptom  of  anger  which  Thugut,  even 
under  the  most  provoking  circumstances,  ever  exhibited — relaxed 
and  became  calm  and  serene  again,  as  he.  approached  the  men  with 
slow  and  measured  steps. 

"Well,  tell  me  now  what  you  have  come  for?  What  can  I  do  for 
you?"  asked  Thugut,  in  the  full  consciousness  of  his  power. 

"We  want  to  implore  your  excellency  to  give  us  peace.  The 
poor  people — ; 

"Peace  with  whom?"  calmly  asked  the  minister. 

"  Peace  with  France,  your  excellency — peace  with  General  Bona- 
parte, who  is  said  to  be  a  magician,  bewitching  everybody,  and 
capable  of  conquering  all  countries  by  a  glance,  by  a  motion  of  his 
hands,  whenever  he  wishes  to  do  so.  If  we  do  not  make  peace,  he 
will  conquer  -Austria  too,  come  to  Vienna,  and  proclaim  himself 
emperor  ;  whereupon  he  will  dismiss  our  own  wise  and  good  minis- 
ters, and  give  us  French  mastei's.  But  we  would  like  to  keep  our 
emperor  and  our  excellent  ministers,  who  take  care  of  us  so  pater- 
nally. And  that  is  the  only  reason  why  we  have  come  here — just  to 
implore  your  excellency  to  have  mercy  with  the  poor  people  and 
make  peace,  so  that  the  emperor  may  return  to  Vienna,  and  bring 
his  state  treasury  back  to  the  capital.  Yes,  men,  that  is  all  we 
wanted,  is  it  not?  We  just  wanted  to  pray  your  excellency  to  give 
us  peace !" 

"Yes,  your  excellency,"  shouted  the  men,  "have  mercy  with  us, 
and  give  us  peace  !" 

"Well,  for  angels  of  peace,  you  have  penetrated  rather  rudely 
into  my  house, "  said  the  minister,  sternly.  "  You  got  up  a  riot  in 
order  to  obtain  peace. " 

"  It  was  merely  our  anxiety  that  made  us  so  hasty  and  impetuous, " 
said  Mr.  Wenzel,  deprecatingly.  "  We  ask  your  excellency's  pardon 
if  we  have  frightened  you. " 

•'Frightened  me  !"  echoed  Thugut,  in  a  tone  of  unmeasured  con- 
tempt. "  As  if  you  were  the  men  to  frighten  me !  I  knew  that 
you  would  come,  and  I  knew,  too,  who  had  bribed  you  to  do  it. 
Yes,  yes,  I  know  they  have  paid  you  well,  Mr.  Wenzel,  to  get  up 
a  riot — they  have  given  you  shining  ducats  for  leading  a  mob 
into  my  house.  But  will  their  ducats  be  able  to  get  you  out  of  it 
again?" 


16  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Mr.  Wenzel  turned  very  pale ;  he  uttered  a  shriek  and  staggered 
back  a  few  paces. 

"  Your  excellency  knew — "  he  said. 

"  Yes,  I  knew, "  continued  Thugut,  sternly,  "  that  men  who  have 
no  regard  for  the  honor  and  dignity  of  their  country — men  who  are 
stupid  enough  to  believe  that  it  would  be  better  to  submit  volun- 
tarily.to  the  dominion  of  the  French  Republic,  instead  of  resisting 
the  demands  of  the  regicides  manfully  and  unyieldingly — that  these 
men  have  hired  you  to  open  your  big  mouth,  and  howl  about  things 
which  you  do  not  understand,  and  which  do  not  concern  you  at  all. " 

At  this  moment,  shrieks  of  terror  and  loud  supplications,  min- 
gled with  violent  and  threatening  voices,  and  words  of  military 
command  were  heard  outside. 

The  men  turned  anxiously  around,  and  beheld  with  dismay  that 
the  staircase,  which  only  a  few  minutes  ago  was  crowded  with 
people,  was  now  entirely  deserted. 

Suddenly,  however,  two  men  appeared  on  the  landing,  who  were 
little  calculated  to  allay  the  apprehensions  of  the  rioters,  for  they 
wore  the  uniform  of  that  dreaded  and  inexorable  police  who,  under 
Thugut 's  administration,  had  inaugurated  a  perfect  reign  of  terror 
in  Vienna. 

The  two  officers  approached  the  door  of  the  anteroom,  where  they 
were  met  by  Germain,  the  footman,  who  conversed  with  them  in  a 
whisper.  Germain  then  hastened  back  to  the  door  of  the  dining- 
room  and  walked  in,  scarcely  deigning  to  cast  a  contemptuous 
glance  on  the  dismayed  rioters. 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  asked  Thugut. 

"  Your  excellency,  the  chief  of  police  sends  word  that  his  men 
are  posted  at  all  the  doors  of  the  palace,  and  will  prevent  anybody 
from  getting  out.  He  has  cleared  the  streets,  besides,  and  dispersed 
the  rioters.  The  chief  of  police,  who  is  in  the  hall  below,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  taking  down  the  names  of  the  criminals  who  are  yet 
in  the  house,  asks  for  your  excellency's  further  orders." 

"Ah,  he  does  not  suspect  that  his  own  chief,  the  minister  of 
police  is  present,"  said  Thugut,  turning  with  a  smile  to  Count 
Saurau,  who,  being  condemned  to  witness  this  scene  in  the  capacity 
of  an  idle  and  passive  spectator,  had  withdrawn  into  a  bay-window, 
where  he  had  quietly  listened  to  the  whole  proceedings. 

"  My  dear  count,  will  you  permit  the  chief  of  police  to  come  here 
and  report  to  yourself  ?"  asked  Thugut. 

"  I  pray  you  to  give  him  this  permission, "  replied  the  count,  ap- 
proaching his  colleague. 

Germain  hastened  back  to  the  policemen  in  the  anteroom. 

"  And  what  are  we — ?"  asked  Mr.  Wenzel,  timidly. 


THE   INTERVIEW.  17 

"  You  will  wait !"  thundered  the  minister.  "  Withdraw  into  yon- 
der corner !  may  be  the  chief  of  police  will  not  see  you  there. " 

They  withdrew  tremblingly  into  one  of  the  corners  of  the  ante- 
room, and  did  not  even  dare  to  whisper  to  each  other,  but  the  glances 
they  exchanged  betrayed  the  anguish  of  their  hearts. 

The  two  ministers,  meanwhile,  had  likewise  gone  into  the  ante- 
room, and,  while  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  chief  of  police,  con- 
versed in  a  whisper. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes,  the  broad-shouldered  and  erect 
figure  of  the  chief  of  the  Viennese  police  appeared  in  the  official 
uniform  so  well  known  to  the  people  of  the  capital,  who,  for  good 
reasons,  were  in  the  utmost  dread  of  the  terrible  functionary.  When 
the  rioters  beheld  him,  they  turned  even  paler  than  before ;  now 
they  thought  that  every  thing  was  lost,  and  gave  way  to  the  most 
gloomy  forebodings. 

Count  Saurau  beckoned  the  chief  to  enter ;  the  latter  had  a  paper 
in  his  right  hand. 

"  Your  report, "  said  the  count,  rather  harshly.  "  How  was  it  possi- 
ble that  this  riot  could  occur?  Was  nobody  there  to  disperse  the 
seditious  scoundrels  before  they  made  the  attack  on  his  excellency's 
palace  ?" 

The  chief  of  police  was  silent,  and  only  glanced  anxiously  at 
Baron  Thugut.  The  latter  smiled,  and  turned  to  the  count : 

"I  beg  you,  my  dear  count,  don't  be  angry  with  our  worth}*  chief 
of  police.  I  am  satisfied  he  has  done  his  whole  duty. " 

"  The  whole  house  is  surrounded, "  hastily  added  the  chief.  "  No- 
body can  get  out,  and  I  have  taken  down  the  names  of  all  the 
criminals. " 

"  Except  these  here, "  said  Thugut,  pointing  at  Mr.  Wenzel  and 
his  unfortunate  companions,  who  vainly  tried  to  hide  themselves  in 
their  corner.  "But  that  is  unnecessary,  inasmuch  as  they  have 
given  us  their  names  already,  and  informed  us  of  their  wishes. 
Then,  sir,  the  whole  honorable  meeting  of  the  people  is  caught  in 
my  house  as  in  a  mouse-trap?" 

"  Yes,  we  have  got  them  all, "  said  the  chief.  "  Now,  I  would  like 
to  know  of  his  excellency,  the  minister  of  police,  what  is  to  be  done 
with  them. " 

"I  beg  you,  my  dear  count,"  said  Thugut,  turning  to  Count 
Saurau,  "  let  me  have  my  way  in  this  matter,  and  treat  these  men  in 
a  spirit  of  hospitality.  I  have  opened  them  the  doors  of  my  palace 
and  admitted  them  into  my  presence,  and  it  would  be  ungenerous 
not  to  let  them  depart  again.  Do  not  read  the  list  of  the  names 
which  the  chief  holds  in  his  hand,  but  permit  him  to  give  it  to  me, 
and  order  him  to  withdraw  his  men  from  my  house,  and  let  the 


18  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

prisoners  retire  without  molestation,  and  with  all  the  honors  of 
war." 

"Your  will  shall  be  done,  of  course,  your  excellency,"  said  the 
count,  bowing  respectfully.  "  Deliver  your  list  to  the  prime  minis- 
ter, and  go  down -stairs  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  his  excellency. " 

The  chief  delivered  the  list  of  the  captured  rioters,  and  left  the 
room,  after  saluting  the  two  dignitaries  in  the  most  respectful 
manner. 

"And  we — ?  may  we  go  likewise,  your  excellency?"  asked  Mr. 
Wenzel,  timidly. 

"  Yes,  you  may  go, "  said  Thugut.  "  But  only  on  one  condition. 
Mr.  Wenzel,  you  must  first  recite  to  me  the  song  which  the  honora- 
ble people  were  howling  when  you  came  here. " 

"Ah,  your  excellency,  I  only  know  a  single  verse  by  heart !" 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  have  that  verse.  Out  with  it !  I  tell  you,  you 
will  not  leave  this  room  until  you  have  recited  it.  Never  fear, 
however ;  for  whatever  it  may  be,  I  pledge  you  my  word  that  no 
harm  shall  befall  you. " 

"  Very  well, "  said  Mr.  Wenzel,  desperately.  "  I  believe  the  verse 
reads  as  follows : 

" '  Triumph  I  triumph  1  es  siegt  die  gute  Sache ! 
Die  Tiirkenknechte  flieh'n ! 
Laut  tOnt  der  Donner  der  gerechten  Sache, 
Nach  Wien  und  nach  Berlin. '  "  * 

"  Indeed,  it  is  a  very  fine  song, "  said  Thugut,  "  and  can  you  tell 
me  who  has  taught  you  this  song?  " 

"  No,  your  excellency,  I  could  not  do  it.  Nobody  knows  it  be- 
sides. It  was  printed  on  a  small  handbill,  and  circulated  all  over 
the  city.  A  copy  was  thrown  into  every  house,  and  the  working- 
men,  when  setting  out  early  one  morning,  found  it  in  the  streets. " 

"  And  did  you  not  assist  in  circulating  this  excellent  song,  my 
dear  Mr.  Wenzel  ?" 

"I?  God  and  the  Holy  Virgin  forbid  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Wenzel,  in 
dismay.  "  I  have  merely  sung  it,  like  all  the  rest  of  us,  and  sung 
it  to  the  tune  which  I  heard  from  the  others. " 

"Well,  well,  you  did  right,  for  the  melody  is  really  pleasing. 
Such  songs  generally  have  the  peculiarity  that  not  a  single  word  of 
them  is  true  ;  people  call  that  poetry.  Now,  you  may  go,  my  poeti- 

*  "Triumph!  triumph  I  the  good  cause  conquers  1 
The  despots1  minions  fleel 
The  thunders  of  the  just  cause 
Reach  Vienna  and  Berlin  !" 

This  hymn  was  universally  sung  at  that  time  (1797)  in  all  the  German  States, 
not  merely  by  the  popular  classes,  but  likewise  in  the  exclusive  circles  of  the 
aristocracy.  It  is  found  in  a  good  many  memoirs  of  that  period. 


THE   TWO    MINISTERS.  19 

cal  Mr.  Wenzel,  and  you  others,  whom  the  people  sent  with  this 
pacific  mission  to  me.  Tell  your  constituents  that  I  will  this  time 
comply  mercifully  with  their  wishes,  and  give  them  peace,  that  is, 
I  will  let  them  go,  and  not  send  them  to  the  calaboose,  as  they  have 
abundantly  deserved.  But  if  you  try  this  game  again,  and  get  up 
another  riot,  and  sing  that  fine  song  once  more,  you  may  rest  assured 
that  you.  will  be  taken  to  jail  and  taught  there  a  most  unpleasant 
lesson.  Begone  now  1" 

He  turned  his  back  on  the  trembling  citizens,  and  took  no  notice 
of  the  respectful  bows  with  which  they  took  leave  of  him,  where- 
upon they  retired  with  soft  but  hasty  steps,  like  mice  escaping  from 
the  presence  of  the  dreaded  lion. 

"  And  now,  my  dear  count,  as  we  have  finished  our  breakfast,  let 
us  return  to  my  cabinet,  for  I  believe  we  have  to  settle  some  addi- 
tional matters. " 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    TWO    MINISTERS. 

BARON  THUGUT  took  the  count's  arm  and  led  him  back  to  his 
cabinet. 

"  I  read  a  question  in  your  eyes, "  he  said,  smiling  ;  "  may  I  know 
what  it  is?" 

"  Why,  yes,  your  excellency, "  replied  Count  Saurau. 

"Bet  me  ask  you,  then,  what  all  this  means?  Why  did  you  ex- 
cuse the  chief  of  police,  who  evidently  had  not  done  his  duty  and 
been  guilty  of  a  lack  of  vigilance?  And  why  did  you  let  these  ras- 
cals go,  instead  of  having  them  whipped  to  death?" 

"You  were  away  from  Vienna,  count?  You  were  absent  from 
the  capital  because  you  accompanied  their  majesties  on  their  trip  to 
Presburg,  and  have  returned  only  an  hour  ago.  Am  I  right?" 

"  Perfectly  right,  your  excellency. " 

"  Then  you  could  not  be  aware  of  what  has  happened  meanwhile 
here  in  Vienna,  and  the  chief  of  police  could  not  have  informed  you 
of  the  particulars.  Well,  then,  he  came  to  me  and  told  me  that  an  in- 
surrection had  been  planned  against  the  two  emperors —  (I  believe 
you  know  that  the  people  does  us  the  honor  of  calling  us  the  two 
emperors  of  Vienna) ,  and  that  the  faction  hostile  to  us  was  going  to 
make  an  attempt  to  overthrow  us.  A  great  deal  of  money  had  been 
distributed  among  the  populace.  Prince  Carl  von  Schwarzenburg 
himself  had  dropped  some  indiscreet  remarks.  In  short,  the  faction 
which  hates  me  because  I  do  not  deem  seditious  Belgium  a  priceless 
jewel  of  the  crown  of  Austria,  and  do  not  advise  the  emperor  to  keep 
MUHLBACH — B  VOL.  7 


20  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

that  remote  province  at  any  price — the  faction  which  detests  both 
of  us  because  we  do  not  join  its  enthusiastic  hymns  in  honor  of  the 
French  Republic  and  the  republican  General  Bonaparte — this  fac- 
tion has  hired  the  miserable  rabble  to  represent  the  people,  to  break 
my  windows,  and  frighten  me  sufficiently  to  make  me  ready  and 
willing  to  adopt  its  insane  policy.  The  chief  of  police  came  to  see 
me  yesterday.  He  gave  me  an  account  of  the  whole  affair,  and  de- 
clared himself  fully  prepared  to  protect  my  palace,  and  to  nip  the 
riot  in  the  bud.  I  begged  him  not  to  do  any  thing  of  the  kind,  but 
to  look  on  passively  and  attentively,  and  only  come  to  my  palace 
after  the  mob  had  entered  it.  I  was  very  anxious  for  once  to  find 
out  something  definite  about  the  strength,  courage,  and  importance 
of  the  opposing  faction:  It  is  always  desirable  to  know  one's  ad- 
versaries, and  to  learn  as  accurately  as  possible  what  they  are  capa- 
ble of.  Besides,  it  was  a  splendid  opportunity  for  the  police  to 
discover  the  sneaking  demagogues  and  ringleaders  of  the  mob,  and 
to  take  down  their  names  for  the  purpose  of  punishing  them  by  and 
by,  as  we  Europeans  unfortunately  cannot  imitate  the  example  of 
that  blessed  Queen  of  Egypt,  who  took  a  thousand  conspirators  by 
the  tails,  and,  holding  them  in  her  left  hand,  cut  off  their  thousand 
seditious  heads  with  one  stroke  of  the  sword  in  her  right  hand. 
Unfortunately,  we  have  to  act  by  far  more  cautiously. " 

"  But  why  did  you  dismiss  all  the  rioters  this  time  without  giving 
them  into  custody?"  asked  the  count,  moodily. 

"  Why,  we  have  them  all  by  the  tails,  anyhow, "  laughed  Thugut, 
"for  have  not  we  got  the  list  of  the  names  here?  Ah,  my  dear  little 
count,  perhaps  you  thought  I  would  have  gone  in  my  generosity  so 
far  as  to  tear  this  list,  throw  the  pieces  away,  and  avert  my  head, 
like  the  pious  bishop  who  found  a  murderer  under  his  bed,  permitted 
him  to  escape,  and  averted  his  head  in  order  not  to  see  the  fugitive's 
face  and  may  be  recognize  him  on  some  future  occasion?  I  like  to 
know  the  faces  of  my  enemies,  and  to  find  out  their  names,  and, 
depend  upon  it,  I  shall  never,  never  forget  the  names  I  read  on  this 
list." 

"  But  for  the  time  being,  these  scoundrels,  having  escaped  with 
impunity,  will  go  home  in  triumph,  and  repeat  the  same  game  as 
soon  as  another  occasion  offers. " 

"  Ah,  I  see  you  do  not  know  the  people  at  all !  Believe  me,  we 
could  not  have  frightened  them  worse  than  by  letting  them  go.  They 
are  perfectly  conscious  of  their  guilt.  The  very  idea  of  not  having 
received  any  punishment  at  our  hands  fills  them  with  misgivings, 
and  they  tremble  every  moment  in  the  expectation  that  they  will 
have  to  suffer  yet  for  their  crime.  Remorse  and  fear  are  tormenting 
them,  and  they  are  the  best  instruments  to  rule  a  people  with.  My 


THE   TWO   MINISTERS.  21 

God,  what  should  be  done  with  a  nation  consisting  of  none  but  pure 
and  virtuous  men?  It  would  be  perfectly  unassailable,  while  its 
vices  and  foibles  are  the  very  things  by  which  we  control  it.  There- 
fore, do  not  blame  the  people  on  account  of  its  vices.  I  love  it  for 
the  sake  of  them,  for  it  is  through  them  that  I  succeed  in  subjecting 
it  to  my  will.  The  idea  of  acting  upon  men  by  appealing  to  their 
virtues,  is  simply  preposterous.  You  must  rely  on  their  faults  and 
crimes,  and,  owing  to  the  latter,  all  these  fellows  whom  we  dis- 
missed to-day  without  punishment  have  become  our  property.  The 
discharged  and  unpunished  criminal  is  a  sbirro — the  police  has  only 
to  hand  him  a  dagger,  and  tell  him,  'Strike  there  1'  and  he  will 
strike. " 

"  Your  excellency  believes,  then,  that  even  the  ringleaders  should 
not  be  punished  ?" 

"  By  no  means.  Of  course  some  of  them  should  be  chastised,  in 
order  to  increase  the  terror  of  the  others.  But  for  God's  sake,  no 
public  trials — no  public  penalties !  Wenzel  should  be  secretly 
arrested  and  disposed  of.  Let  him  disappear — he  and  the  other 
ringleaders  who  were  bold  enough  to  come  up  here.  Let  us  immure 
them  in  some  strong,  thick-walled  prison,  and  while  the  other  rioters 
are  vainly  tormenting  their  heavy  skulls  by  trying  to  guess  what 
has  become  of  their  leaders,  we  shall  render  the  latter  so  pliable  and 
tame  by  all  kinds  of  tortures  and  threats  of  capital  punishment,  that 
when  we  finally  set  them  free  again,  they  will  actually  believe  they 
are  in  our  debt,  and  in  their  gratitude  become  willing  tools  in  our 
hands  to  be  used  as  we  may  deem  best. " 

"  By  the  eternal,  you  are  a  great  statesman,  a  sagacious  ruler  1" 
exclaimed  Count  Saurau,  with  the  gushing  enthusiasm  of  sincere 
admiration.  "Men  grow  wise  by  listening  to  you,  and  happy  and 
powerful  by  obeying  you !  I  am  entirely  devoted  to  you — full  of 
affection  and  veneration — and  do  not  want  to  be  any  thing  but  your 
attentive  and  grateful  pupil. " 

"Be  my  friend,"  said  Thugut.  "Let  us  pursue  our  career  hand 
in  hand — let  us  always  keep  our  common  goal  in  view,  and  shrink 
back  from  no  step  in  order  to  reach  it." 

"  Tell  me  what  I  am  to  do.  I  shall  follow  you  as  readily  as  the 
blind  man  follows  his  guide." 

"Well,  if  you  desire  it,  my  friend,  we  will  consider  a  little  how 
we  have  to  steer  the  ship  of  state  during  the  next  months  in  order 
to  get  her  safely  through  the  breakers  that  are  threatening  her  on 
all  sides.  During  the  few  days  of  your  absence  from  the  capital, 
various  events  have  occurred,  materially  altering  the  general  state 
of  affairs.  When  you  departed,  I  advised  the  emperor  not  to  make 
peace  with  France  under  any  circumstances.  We  counted  at  that 


22  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

time  on  the  regiments  of  grenadiers  whom  we  had  sent  to  the  seat 
of  war,  and  who,  under  the  command  of  Archduke  Charles,  were  to 
defend  the  defiles  of  Neumarkt  against  the  advancing  columns  of 
the  French  army.  We  knew,  besides,  that  the  French  troops  were 
worn  out,  exhausted,  and  anxious  for  peace,  or  that  General  Bona- 
parte would  not  have  addressed  that  letter  to  the  Archduke  Charles, 
in  which  he  requested  the  latter  to  induce  the  Emperor  of  Austria 
to  conclude  peace  with  France.  In  accordance  with  our  advice,  the 
archduke  had  to  give  Bonaparte  an  evasive  answer,  informing  him 
that,  in  case  of  further  negotiations,  he  would  have  to  send  to 
Vienna  for  fresh  instructions. " 

"  But,  your  excellency,  you  were  firmly  determined  not  to  make 
peace  with  France !" 

"  So  I  was,  and  even  now  I  have  not  changed  my  mind  ;  but  we 
are  frequently  compelled  to  disguise  our  real  intentions,  and  events 
have  occurred,  which,  for  the  present,  render  peace  desirable.  You 
need  not  be  frightened,  my  dear  count — I  merely  say,  for  the  present. 
In  my  heart  I  shall  never  make  peace  with  France,  and  my  pur- 
pose remains  as  fixed  as  ever — to  revenge  Austria  one  day  for  the 
humiliations  we  have  suffered  at  her  hands.  Never  forget  that,  my 
friend  ;  and  now  listen  to  me.  Late  dispatches  have  arrived.  Mas- 
sena,  after  a  bloody  struggle  with  our  troops,  has  taken  Friesach, 
.  and  advanced  on  the  next  day  to  attack  the  fresh  regiments  of  our 
grenadiers  in  the  gorges  of  Neumarkt.  Archduke  Charles  had 
placed  himself  at  the  head  of  these  regiments,  firing  the  courage  of 
the  soldiers  by  his  own  heroic  example.  But  he  was  confronted  by 
the  united  French  forces  from  Italy  and  Germany,  and  in  the  even- 
ing of  that  disastrous  day  the  archduke  and  his  grenadiers  were 
compelled  to  evacuate  Neumarkt,  which  was  occupied  by  the  victo- 
rious French.  The  archduke  now  asked  the  French  general  for  a 
cessation  of  hostilities  during  twenty-four  hours  in  order  to  gain 
time,  for  he  was  in  hopes  that  this  respite  would  enable  him  to  bring 
up  the  corps  of  General  von  Kerpen,  and  then,  with  his  united 
forces,  drive  the  enemy  back  again.  But  this  little  General  Bona- 
parte seems  to  possess  a  great  deal  of  sagacity,  for  he  rejected  the 
request,  and  sent  a  detached  column  against  Von  Kerpen's  corps, 
which  separated  the  latter  still  farther  from  our  main  army.  Bona- 
parte himself  advanced  with  his  forces  as  far  as  Fudenberg  and 
Leoben.  In  order  to,save  Vienna,  there  was  but  one  course  left  to 
the  archduke  :  he  had  to  make  proposals  of  peace." 

"Did  he  really  do  so?"  asked  Count  Saurau,  breathlessly. 

"He  did.  He  sent  two  of  our  friends — Count  Meerveldt,  and 
the  Marquis  de  Gallo — to  Bonaparte's  headquarters  at  Leoben,  for 
the  purpose  of  opening  negotiations  with  him. " 


THE   TWO   MINISTERS.  23 

"Did  your  excellency  authorize  the  archduke  to  do  so?"  asked 
the  count. 

"  No,  I  did  not,  and  I  might  disavow  it  now  if  it  suited  me,  but 
it  does  not — it  would  not  promote  our  interests — and  I  know  but 
one  policy,  the  policy  of  interest.  We  should  always  adopt  those 
measures  which  afford  us  a  reasonable  prospect  of  gain,  and  discard 
those  which  may  involve  us  in  loss.  Power  alone  is  infallible,  ete^ 
nal,  and  divine,  and  powei  has  now  decided  in  favor  of  France. 
Wherefore  we  must  yield,  and  don  the  garb  of  peace  until  we  secure 
once  more  sufficient  power  to  renew  hostilities.  We  must  make 
peace  !  Our  aim,  however,  should  be  to  render  this  peace  as  advan- 
tageous to  Austria  as  possible — " 

"You  mean  at  the  expense  of  France?" 

"  Bah  ! — at  the  expense  of  Germany,  my  dear  little  count.  Ger- 
many is  to  compensate  us  for  the  losses  which  peace  may  inflict.  If 
we  lose  any  territory  in  Italy,  why,  we  shall  make  it  up  in  Germany, 
that  is  all. " 

"  But  in  that  case,  there  will  be  another  terrible  hue  and  cry 
about  the  infringement  of  the  rights  of  the  holy  German  empire, " 
said  Count  Saurau,  smiling  ;  "  Prussia  will  have  a  new  opportunity 
of  playing  the  defender  of  the  German  fatherland. " 

"  My  dear  count,  never  mind  the  bombastic  nonsense  in  which 
Prussia  is  going  to  indulge — we  shall  take  good  care  that  nothing 
comes  of  it.  Prussia  has  no  longer  a  Frederick  the  Great  at  her 
head,  but  the  fat  Frederick  William  the  Second — : 

"But  his  life,"  said  the  count,  interrupting  him,  "I  know  for 
certain,  will  last  but  a  few  days,  at  best  for  a  few  weeks ;  for  his 
disease,  dropsy  of  the  chest,  you  know,  does  not  even  respect 
kings. " 

"  And  when  Prussia  has  lost  her  present  fat  king,  she  will  have 
another,  Frederick  William — a  young  man  twenty-seven  years  of 
age,  voild  tout!  He  is  just  as  old  as  General  Bonaparte,  and  was 
born  in  the  same  year  as  this  general  whose  glory  already  fills  the 
whole  world  ;  but  of  the  young  heir  of  the  Prussian  throne  the  world 
has  heard  nothing  as  yet,  except  that  he  has  a  most  beautiful  wife. 
He  is  not  dangerous,  therefore,  and  I  hope  and  believe  that  Austria 
never  will  lack  the  power  to  humiliate  and  check  this  Prussian  king- 
dom— this  revolutionary  element  in  the  heart  of  the  German  empire. 
The  danger,  however,  that  threatens  us  now,  does  not  come  from 
Prussia,  but  from  France,  and  especially  from  this  General  Bona- 
parte, who,  by  his  glory  and  his  wonderful  battles,  excites  the  wildest 
enthusiasm  for  the% cause  of  the  revolution,  and  delights  the  stupid 
masses  so  much  that  they  hail  him  as  a  new  messiah  of  liberty. 
Liberty,  detestable  word  1  that,  like  the  fatal  bite  of  the  tarantula, 


24  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

renders  men  furious,  and  causes  them  to  rave  about  in  frantic  dances 
until  death  strikes  them  down. " 

"  This  word  is  the  talismanic  charm  with  which  Bonaparte  has 
conquered  all  Italy,  and  transformed  the  Italians  into  insurgents 
and  rebels  against  their  legitimate  sovereigns, "  said  Count  Saurau, 
mournfully. 

"All  Italy?  Not  yet,  my  friend.  A  portion  of  it  still  stands 
firm.  The  lion  of  St.  Mark  has  not  yet  fallen. " 

"  But  he  will  fall.     His  feet  are  tottering  already. " 

"Well,  then,  we  must  try  to  make  him  fall  in  a  manner  which 
will  entitle  us  to  a  portion  of  the  spoils.  And  now,  my  dear  little 
count,  we  have  reached  the  point  which  claims  our  immediate 
attention.  The  preliminaries  of  the  peace  have  been  concluded  at 
Leoben,  and  until  peace  itself  is  established,  we  should  pursue  such 
a  policy  that  the  peace,  instead  of  involving  Austria  in  serious 
losses,  will  give  her  a  chance  to  increase  her  strength  and  enlarge 
her  territory.  We  must  keep  our  eyes  on  Bavaria — for  Bavaria  will 
and  must  be  ours  as  soon  as  a  favorable  opportunity  offers.  If 
France  should  object  and  refuse  to  let  us  seize  our  prey,  why,  we 
will  be  sure  to  revive  the  old  quarrel  about  Belgium,  which  will 
render  her  willing  and  tame  enough. " 

"  But  what  shall  we  do  if  Prussia  should  support  the  objections 
of  France?  Shall  we  satisfy  her,  too,  by  giving  her  a  piece  of 
Germany  ?" 

"  On  the  contrary,  we  shall  try  to  take  as  much  as  possible  from 
her ;  we  shall  try  to  humiliate  and  isolate  her,  in  order  to  deprive 
her  of  the  power  of  injuring  us.  We  shall  endeavor  so  to  arrange 
the  peace  we  are  going  to  conclude  with  France  as  to  benefit  Aus- 
tria, and  injure  Prussia  as  much  as  we  can.  In  the  north,  we  shall 
increase  our  territory  by  the  acquisition  of  Bavaria ;  in  the  south, 
by  the  annexation  of  Venice. " 

"  By  the  annexation  of  Venice  I"  ejaculated  Count  Saurau,  greatly 
astonished  at  what  he  had  heard.  "  But  did  you  not  just  tell  me 
that  Venice  still  stood  firm?" 

"We  must  bring  about  her  fall,  my  dear  count ;  that  is  our  great 
task  just  now ;  for,  I  repeat,  Venice  is  to  compensate  us  on  our 
southern  frontier  for  our  losses  elsewhere.  Of  course,  we  ought  to 
receive  some  substantial  equivalent  for  ceding  Belgium  to  France, 
and  if  it  cannot  be  Bavaria,  then  let  it  be  Venice. " 

"  Nevertheless,  I  do  not  comprehend — " 

"My  dear  count,  if  my  schemes  were  so  easily  fathomed,  they 
could  not  be  very  profound.  Everybody  may  guess  the  game  I  am 
playing  now  ;  but  the  cards  I  have  got  in  my  hand  must  remain  a 
secret  until  I  have  played  them  out,  or  I  would  run  the  risk  of  losing 


THE   TWO   MINISTERS.  25 

every  thing.  But  this  time  I  will  let  you  peep  into  my  cards,  and 
you  shall  help  me  win  the  game.  Venice  is  the  stake  we  are  play- 
ing for,  my  dear  count,  and  we  want  to  annex  her  to  Austria.  How 
is  that  to  be  brought  about  ?" 

"I  confess,  your  excellency,  that  my  limited  understanding  is 
unable  to  answer  that  question,  and  that  I  cannot  conceive  how  a 
sovereign  and  independent  state  is  to  become  an  Austrian  province 
in  the  absence  of  any  claims  to  its  territory,  except  by  an  act  of 
open  violence." 

"  Not  exactly,  my  dear  count.  Suppose  we  set  a  mouse- trap  for 
Venice,  and  catch  her,  like  a  mouse,  in  it  ?  Listen  to  me !  We 
must  encourage  Venice  to  determine  upon  open  resistance  against 
the  victor  of  Lodi,  and  make  war  upon  France." 

"  Ah,  your  excellency,  I  am  afraid  the  timid  signoria  will  not  be 
bold  enough  for  that,  after  hearing  of  our  late  defeats,  and  of  the 
new  victories  of  the  French. " 

"  Precisely.  It  is  of  the  highest  importance,  therefore,  that  the 
signoria  should  hear  nothing  of  it,  but  believe  exactly  the  reverse, 
viz. ,  that  our  troops  are  victorious ;  and  this  task,  my  friend,  de- 
volves upon  you.  Pray  dispatch,  at  once,  some  reliable  agents  to 
Venice,  and  to  other  parts  of  the  Venetian  territory.  Inform  the 
signoria  that  the  French  have  been  defeated  in  the  Tyrol  and  in 
Styria,  and  was  now  in  the  most  precarious  position.  Through 
some  other  confidential  messenger  send  word  to  Count  Adam  Neip- 
perg,  who,  with  some  of  our  regiments  occupies  the  southern  Tyrol 
in  close  proximity  to  the  Venetian  frontier,  that  Venetia  is  ready 
to  rise  and  needs  his  assistance,  and  order  him  to  advance  as  far  as 
Verona.  The  Venetians  will  look  upon  this  advance  as  a  confirma- 
tion of  the  news  of  our  victories.  The  wise  little  mice  will  only 
smell  the  bait,  and,  in  their  joy,  not  see  the  trap  we  have  set  for 
them.  They  will  rush  into  it,  and  we  shall  catch  them.  For  a 
rising  in  Venice  will  be  called  nowadays  a  rebellion  against  France, 
and  France  will  hasten  to  punish  so  terrible  a  crime.  The  Venetian 
Republic  will  be  destroyed  by  the  French  Republic,  and  then  we 
shall  ask  France  to  cede  us  Venice  as  a  compensation  for  the  loss  of 
Belgium." 

"  By  the  Eternal !  it  is  a  splendid — a  grand  scheme  !"  exclaimed 
Count  Saurau — "  a  scheme  worthy  of  being  planned  by  some  great 
statesman.  In  this  manner  we  shall  conquer  a  new  province  with- 
out firing  a  gun,  or  spilling  a  drop  of  blood. " 

"No.  Some  blood  will  be  shed,"  said  Thugut,  quietly.  "But  it 
will  not  be  Austrian  blood — it  will  be  the  blood  of  the  Venetian  in- 
surgents whom  we  instigate  to  rise  in  arms.  This  bloodshed  will 
glue  them  firmly  to  us,  for  no  cement  is  more  tenacious  than  blood. 


26  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

And  now,  my  dear  count,  as  you  know  and  approve  of  my  plans,  I 
pray  you  to  carry  them  out  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Dispatch  your 
agents  without  delay  to  Venice  and  to  the  Tyrol.  We  have  no  time 
to  lose,  for  the  preliminaries  of  Leoben  only  extend  to  the  eighteenth 
of  April,  and  until  then  Venice  must  have  become  a  ripe  fruit, 
which,  in  the  absence  of  hands  to  pluck  it,  will  spontaneously  fall 
to  the  ground. " 

"  In  the  course  of  an  hour,  your  excellency,  I  shall  have  executed 
your  orders,  and  my  most  skilful  spies  and  agents  will  be  on  their 
road." 

"Whom  are  you  going  to  send  to  the  Venetian  signoria? " 

"  The  best  confidential  agent  I  have — Anthony  Schulmeister. " 

"  Oh,  I  know  him  ;  he  has  often  served  me,  and  is  very  adroit, 
indeed.  But  do  not  forget  to  pay  him  well  in  order  to  be  sure  of  his 
fidelity,  for  fortunately  he  has  a  failing  which  renders  it  easy  for  us 
to  control  him.  He  is  exceedingly  covetous,  and  has  a  pretty  wife 
who  spends  a  great  deal  of  money.  Pay  him  well,  therefore,  and 
he  will  do  us  good  service.  And  now,  farewell,  my  dear  count.  I 
believe  we  understand  each  other  perfectly,  and  know  what  we  have 
to  do. " 

"  I  have  found  out  once  more  that  the  Austrian  ship  of  state  is  in 
the  hands  of  a  man  who  knows  how  to  steer  and  guide  her,  as  no 
other  ruler  does, "  said  "Count  Saurau,  who  rose  and  took  his  hat. 

"I  have  inherited  this  talent,  perhaps,  my  dear  count.  My 
father,  the  ship-builder,  taught  me  all  about  the  management  of 
ships.  Addio,  caro  amico  mio." 

They  cordially  shook  hands,  and  Count  Saurau,  with  a  face  radi- 
ant with  admiration  and  affection,  withdrew  from  the  cabinet  of 
the  prime  minister.  A  smile  still  played  on  his  features  when  the 
footman  in  the  anteroom  assisted  him  in  putting  on  his  cloak, 
whereupon  he  rapidly  descended  the  magnificent  marble  staircase 
which  an  hour  ago  had  been  desecrated  by  the  broad  and  clumsy 
feet  of  the  populace.  But  when  the  door  of  his  carriage  had  closed 
behind  him,  and  no  prying  eyes,  no  listening  ears  were  watching 
him  any  longer,  his  smile  disappeared  as  if  by  magic,  and  savage 
imprecations  burst  from  his  lips. 

"Intolerable  arrogance  1  Revolting  insolence !"  said  he,  angrily. 
"He  thinks  he  can  play  the  despot,  and  treat  all  of  us — even  myself 
—worse  than  slaves.  He  dares  to  call  me  'his  little  count!'  His 
little  count !  Ah,  I  shall  prove  to  this  ship-builder's  son  one  day  that 
little  Count  Saurau  is,  after  all,  a  greater  man  than  our  overbearing 
and  conceited  prime  minister.  But  patience,  patience !  My  day 
will  come.  And  on  that  day  I  shall  iiurl  little  Thugut  from  his 
eminent  position  1" 


THE   HOUSE   IN   THE   GUMPENDORFER   SUBURB.      27 
CHAPTER    V. 

THE  HOUSE  IN  THE  GUMPENDORFER  SUBURB. 

VIENNA  was  really  terribly  frightened  by  the  near  approach  of  the 
French  army,  and  the  conviction  of  their  dangerous  position  had 
excited  the  people  so  fearfully  that  the  Viennese,  generally  noted 
for  their  peaceful  and  submissive  disposition,  had  committed  an 
open  riot — for  the  sole  purpose,  however,  of  compelling  the  all- 
powerful  prime  minister  to  make  peace  with  France.  Archduke 
Charles  had  been  defeated — the  emperor  had  fled  to  Hungary. 

None  of  all  these  disastrous  tidings  had  disturbed  the  inmates  of 
a  small  house  on  the  outskirts  of  the  Gumpendorfer  suburb,  in  close 
proximity  to  the  Mariahilf  line.  This  little  house  was  a  perfect 
image  of  peace  and  tranquillity.  It  stood  in  the  centre  of  a  small 
garden  which  showed  the  first  tender  blossoms  of  returning  spring 
on  its  neatly  arranged  beds.  Dense  shrubbery  covered  the  white 
walls  of  the  house  with  evergreen  verdure.  Curtains  as  white  and 
dazzling  as  fresh  snow,  and,  between  them,  flower-pots  filled  with 
luxuriant  plants,  might  be  seen  behind  the  glittering  window-panes. 
Although  there  was  nothing  very  peculiar  about  the  house,  which 
had  but  two  stories,  yet  nobody  passed  by  without  looking  up  to  the 
windows  with  a  reverential  and  inquisitive  air,  and  he  who  only 
thought  he  could  discover  behind  the  panes  the  fugitive  shadow  of  a 
human  being,  made  at  once  a  deep  and  respectful  bow,  and  a  proud 
and  happy  smile  overspread  his  features. 

And  still,  we  repeat,  there  was  nothing  very  peculiar  about  the 
house.  Its  outside  was  plain  and  modest,  and  the  inside  was  equally 
so.  The  most  profound  silence  prevailed  in  the  small  hall,  the  floor 
of  which  had  been  sprinkled  with  fresh  white  sand.  A  large  spotted 
cat — a  truly  beautiful  animal — lay  not  far  from  the  front  door  on  a 
soft,  white  cushion,  and  played  gracefully  and  gently  with  the  ball 
of  white  yarn  that  had  just  fallen  from  the  woman  sitting  at  the 
window  while  she  was  eagerly  engaged  in  knitting.  This  woman, 
in  her  plain  and  unassuming  dress,  seemed  to  be  a  servant  of  the 
house,  but  at  all  events  a  servant  in  whom  entire  confidence  was 
reposed,  as  was  indicated  by  the  large  bunch  of  keys,  such  as  the 
lady  of  the  house  or  a  trusted  housekeeper  will  carry,  which  hung 
at  her  side.  An  expression  of  serene  calmness  rendered  her  vener- 
able features  quite  attractive,  and  a  graceful  smile  played  on  her 
thin  and  bloodless  lips  as  she  now  dropped  her  knitting  upon  her 
lap,  and,  with  her  body  bent  forward,  commenced  watching  the 
merry  play  of  the  cat  on  the  cushion.  Suddenly  the  silence  was 


28  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

interrupted  by  a  loud  and  shrill  scream,  and  a  very  strange-sound- 
ing voice  uttered  a  few  incoherent  words  in  English. 

At  the  same  time  a  door  was  opened  hastily,  and  another  woman 
appeared — just  as  old,  just  as  kind-looking,  and  with  as  mild  and 
serene  features  as  the  one  we  have  just  described.  Her  more  refined 
appearance,  however,  her  handsome  dress,  her  beautiful  cap,  her 
well-powdered  toupet,  and  the  massive  gold  chain  encircling  her 
neck,  indicated  that  she  was  no  servant,  but  the  lady  of  the  house. 

However,  peculiarly  pleasant  relations  seemed  to  prevail  between 
the  mistress  and  the  servant,  for  the  appearance  of  the  lady  did  not 
cause  the  latter  to  interrupt  her  merry  play  with  the  cat ;  and  the 
mistress,  on  her  part,  evidently  did  not  consider  it  strange  or  disre- 
spectful, but  quietly  approached  her  servant. 

"Catharine,"  she  said,  "just  listen  how  that  abominable  bird, 
Paper!,  screams  again  to-day.  I  am  sure  the  noise  will  disturb  the 
doctor,  who  is  at  work  already. " 

"  Yes,  Paperl  is  an  intolerable  nuisance, "  sighed  Catharine.  "  I 
cannot  comprehend  why  the  Kapellmeister — I  was  going  to  say  the 
doctor — likes  the  bird  so  well,  and  why  he  has  brought  it  along  from 
England.  Yes,  if  Paperl  could  sing,  in  that  case  it  would  not  be 
strange  if  the  Ka — ,  I  mean  the  doctor,  had  grown  fond  of  the  bird. 
But  no,  Paperl  merely  jabbers  a  few  broken  words  which  no  good 
Christian  is  able  to  understand. " 

"He  who  speaks  English  can  understand  it  well  enough,  Catha- 
rine, "  said  the  lady,  "  for  the  bird  talks  English,  and  in  that  respect 
Paperl  knows  more  than  either  of  us. " 

"  But  Paperl  cannot  talk  German,  and  I  think  that  our  language, 
especially  our  dear  Viennese  dialect,  sounds  by  far  better  than  that 
horrid  English.  I  don't  know  why  the  doctor  likes  the  abominable 
noise,  and  why  he  suffers  the  bird  to  disturb  his  quiet  by  these  out- 
rageous screams. " 

"I  know  it  well  enough,  Catharine,"  said  the  doctor's  wife, 
with  a  gentle  smile.  "  The  parrot  reminds  my  husband  of  his  voy- 
age to  England,  and  of  all  the  glory  and  honor  that  were  showered 
upon  him  there." 

"  Well,  as  far  as  that  is  concerned,  I  should  think  it  was  entirely 
unnecessary  for  my  master  to  make  a  trip  to  England, "  exclaimed 
Catharine.  "He  has  not  returned  a  more  famous  man  than  he  was 
already  when  he  went  away.  The  English  were  unable  to  add  to 
his  glory,  for  he  was  already  the  most  celebrated  man  in  the  whole 
world  when  he  went  there,  and  if  that  had  not  been  the  case,  they 
would  not  have  invited  him  to  come  and  perform  his  beautiful 
music  before  them,  for  then  they  would  not  have  known  that  he  is 
such  a  splendid  musician. " 

I 


THE  HOUSE  IN  THE  GUMPENDORFER  SUBURB.   29 

"  But  they  were  delighted  to  see  him,  Catharine,  and  I  tell  you 
they  have  perfectly  overwhelmed  him  with  honors.  Every  day 
they  gave  him  festivals,  and  even  the  king  and  queen  urged  him 
frequently  to  take  up  his  abode  in  England.  The  queen  promised 
him  splendid  apartments  in  Windsor  Castle,  and  a  large  salary,  and 
in  return  my  husband  was  to  do  nothing  but  to  perform  every  day 
for  an  hour  or  so  before  her  majesty,  or  sing  with  her.  Neverthe- 
less, he  had  the  courage  to  refuse  the  brilliant  offers  of  the  king  and 
queen,  and  do  you  know,  Catharine,  why  he  rejected  them  ?" 

Catharine  knew  it  well  enough ;  she  had  frequently  heard  the 
story  from  her  mistress  during  the  two  years  since  the  doctor  had 
returned  from"  England,  but  she  was  aware  that  the  lady  liked  to 
repeat  it,  and  she  liked  it  very  much,  too,  to  hear  people  talk  about 
her  beloved  master's  fame  and  glory,  having  faithfully  served  him 
already  for  more  than  twenty  years.  Hence  she  said,  with  a  kind- 
hearted  smile : 

"No,  indeed,  I  don't  know  it,  and  I  cannot  comprehend  why  the 
doctor  said  no  to  the  king  and  queen  of  England. " 

"He  did  so  for  my  sake,  Catharine  ! "  said  the  lady,  and  an  ex- 
pression of  joyful  pride  shed  a  lustre  of  beauty  and  tenderness  over 
her  kind  old  face.  "  Yes,  I  tell  you,  it  was  solely  for  my  sake  that 
my  husband  came  home  again.  'Remain  with  us  !'  said  the  king 
to  him.  'You  shall  have  every  thing  the  queen  has  offered  you. 
You  shall  live  at  Windsor,  and  sing  once  a  day  with  the  queen. 
Of  you,  my  dear  doctor,  I  shall  not  be  jealous,  for  you  are  an  excel- 
lent and  honest  German  gentleman. '  And  when  the  king  had  told 
him  that,  my  husband  bowed  respectfully,  and  replied  :  'Your  maj- 
esty, it  is  my  highest  pride  to  maintain  this  reputation.  But  just 
because  I  am  an  honest  German,  I  must  tell  you  that  I  cannot  stay 
here — I  cannot  leave  my  country  and  my  wife  forever  !' 

"'Oh,  as  far  as  that  is  concerned, '  exclaimed  the  king,  'we  shall 
send  for  your  wife.  She  shall  live  with  you  at  Windsor. '  But  my 
husband  laughed  and  said :  '  She  will  never  come,  your  majesty. 
She  would  not  cross  the  Danube  in  a  skiff,  much  less  make  a  trip 
beyond  the  sea.  And,  therefore,  there  is  nothing  left  to  me  but  to 
return  myself  to  my  little  wife. '  And  he  did  so,  and  left  the  king, 
and  the  queen,  and  all  the  noble  lords  and  ladies,  and  came  back  to 
Vienna,  and  to  his  little  wife.  Say,  Catharine,  was  not  that  well 
done  of  him?" 

"  Of  course  it  was, "  said  Catharine ;  "  the  fact  was,  our  good 
doctor  loved  his  wife  better  than  the  queen,  and  all  the  high  born 
people  who  treated  him  so  well  in  England.  And,  besides,  he  knew 
that  people  hereabouts  treat  him  with  as  much  deference  as  over 
there,  and  that  if  he  only  desired  it,  he  could  hold  daily  intercourse 


30  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

with  the  emperor,  the  princes,  and  the  highest  dignitaries  in  the 
country.  But  he  does  not  care  for  it.  The  fact  is,  our  master  is  by 
far  too  modest ;  he  is  always  so  quiet  and  unassuming,  that  nobody, 
unless  they  knew  him,  would  believe  for  a  single  moment  that  he  is 
so  far-famed  a  man  ;  and  then  he  dresses  so  plainly,  while  he  might 
deck  himself  with  all  the  diamond  rings  and  breast-pins,  the  splen- 
did watches  and  chains,  which  the  various  sovereigns  have  given  to 
him.  But  all  these  fine  things  he  keeps  shut  up  in  his  desk,  and 
constantly  wears  the  same  old  silver  watch  which  he  has  had  already 
God  knows  how  long  !  " 

"Why,  Catharine,  that  was  the  wedding  present  I  gave  him," 
said  the  good  wife,  proudly  ;  "and  just  for  that  reason  my  husband 
wears  it  all  the  time,  although  he  has  watches  by  far  more  beautiful 
and  valuable.  At  the  time  I  gave  him  that  watch,  both  of  us  were 
very  poor.  He  was  a  young  music-teacher,  and  I  was  a  hair- 
dresser's daughter.  He  lived  in  a  small  room  in  my  father's  house, 
and  as  he  often  could  not  pay  the  rent,  he  gave  me  every  day  a  lesson 
on  the  piano.  But  in  those  lessons,  I  did  not  only  learn  music — I 
learned  to  love  him,  too.  He  asked  me  to  become  his  wife,  and  on 
our  wedding-day,  I  gave  him  the  silver  watch,  and  that  is  just  the 
reason  why  he  wears  it  all  the  time,  although  he  has  by  far  better 
ones.  His  wife's  present  is  more  precious  to  him  than  what  kings 
and  emperors  have  given  to  him." 

"  But  he  might  wear  at  least  a  nice  gold  chain  to  it, "  said  Catha- 
rine. "Why,  I  am  sure  he  has  no  less  than  a  dozen  of  them.  But 
he  never  wears  one  of  them,  not  even  the  other  day  when  the  Prin- 
cess Esterhazy  called  for  him  with  her  carriage  to  drive  with  him 
to  the  emperor.  The  doctor  wore  on  that  occasion  only  a  plain  blue 
ribbon,  on  which  his  own  name  was  embroidered  in  silver. " 

"  Well,  there  is  a  story  to  that  ribbon, "  said  the  mistress,  thought- 
fully. "My  husband  brought  it  likewise  from  London,  and  he  got 
it  there  on  one  of  his  proudest  days.  I  did  not  know  the  story  my- 
self, for  you  are  aware  my  husband  is  always  so  modest,  and  never 
talks  about  his  great  triumphs  in  London,  and  I  would  not  have 
learned  any  thing  about  the  ribbon  if  he  had  not  worn  it  the  other 
day  when  he  accompanied  the  princess  to  the  emperor.  Ah,  Catha- 
rine, it  is  a  very  beautiful  and  touching  story  !  " 

Catharine  did  not  know  this  story  at  all ;  hence  she  asked  her 
mistress  with  more  than  usual  animation  to  tell  her  all  about  the 
ribbon. 

The  doctor's  wife  assented  readily.  She  sat  down  on  a  chair  at 
Catharine's  side,  and  looked  with  a  pleasant  smile  at  the  cat  who 
had  come  up  to  her,  and,  purring  comfortably,  lay  down  on  the  hem 
of  her  dress. 


THE  HOUSE  IN  THE  GUMPENDORFER  SUBURB.   31 

"  Yes, "  said  she,  "  the  story  of  that  ribbon  is  quite  touching,  and 
I  do  not  know  really,  Catharine,  but  I  will  have  to  shed  a  few  tears 
while  telling  it.  It  was  in  London,  when  my  husband  had  just 
returned  from  Oxford,  where  the  university  had  conferred  upon  him 
the  title  of  Doctor  of—" 

"Yes,  yes,  I  know,"  grumbled  Catharine,  "that  is  the  reason 
why  we  now  have  to  call  him  doctor,  which  does  not  sound  near  as 
imposing  and  distinguished  as  our  master's  former  title  of  Kapell- 
meister. " 

"  But  then  it  is  a  very  high  honor  to  obtain  the  title  of  doctor  of 
music  in  England,  Catharine.  The  great  composer  Handel  lived 
thirty  years  in  England  without  receiving  it,  and  my  husband  had 
not  been  there  but  a  few  months  when  they  conferred  the  title  upon 
him.  Well,  then,  on  the  day  after  his  return  from  Oxford,  he  was 
invited  to  the  house  of  a  gentleman  of  high  rank  and  great  wealth, 
who  gave  him  a  brilliant  party.  A  large  number  of  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen were  present,  and  when  my  husband  appeared  among  them 
they  rose  and  bowed  as  respectfully  as  though  he  were  a  king. 
When  the  doctor  had  returned  the  compliment,  he  perceived  that 
every  lady  in  the  room  wore  in  her  hair  a  ribbon  of  blue  silk,  on 
which  his  name  had  been  embroidered  in  silver.  His  host  wore  the 
same  name  in  silver  beads  on  his  coat-facings,  so  that  he  looked 
precisely  as  if  he  were  my  husband's  servant,  and  dressed  in  his 
livery.  Oh,  it  was  a  splendid  festival  which  Mr.  Shaw — that  was 
the  gentleman's  name — gave  him  on  that  day.  At  length  Mr.  Shaw 
asked  the  doctor  to  give  him  a  souvenir,  whereupon  he  presented 
him  with  a  snuff-box  he  had  purchased  in  the  course  of  the  day  for 
a  few  shillings ;  and  when  my  husband  requested  the  lady  of  the 
house,  whom  he  pronounces  the  most  beautiful  woman  on  earth,  to 
give  him  likewise  a  souvenir  ;  Mrs.  Shaw  thereupon  took  the  ribbon 
from  her  head  and  handed  it  to  him  ;  and  my  husband  pressed  it  to 
his  lips,  and  assured  her  he  would  always  wear  that  ribbon  on  the 
most  solemn  occasions.  You  see,  Catharine,  he  keeps  his  promise 
religiously,  for  he  wore  the  ribbon  the  other  day  when  he  was  called 
to  the  imperial  palace.  But  my  story  is  not  finished  yet.  Your 
master  called  a  few  days  after  that  party  on  Mr.  Shaw,  when  the 
latter  showed  him  the  snuff-box  he  had  received  from  my  husband. 
It  was  enclosed  in  a  handsome  silver  case,  a  beautiful  lyre  was 
engraved  on  the  lid,  with  an  inscription  stating  that  my  great  and 
illustrious  husband  had  given  him  the  box.*  How  do  you  like  my 
story,  Catharine?  " 

"Oh,  it  is  beautiful, "  said  the  old  servant,  thoughtfully;  "only, 
what  you  said  about  that  beautiful  Mrs.  Shaw  did  not  exactly  please 
*  The  inscription  was:  "Ex  dono  celeberrimi  Josephi  Haydn." 


32  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

me.  I  am  sure  the  doctor  got  the  parrot  also  from  her,  and  for  that 
reason  likes  the  bird  so  well,  although  it  screeches  so  horribly,  and 
doubtless  disturbs  him  often  in  his  studies. " 

"Yes,  he  got  the  bird  from  Mrs.  Shaw,"  replied  her  mistress, 
with  a  smile.  "  She  taught  Paperl  to  whistle  three  airs  from  my 
husband's  finest  quartets,  singing  and  whistling  the  music  to  the 
bird  every  day  during  three  or  four  weeks  for  several  hours,  until 
Paperl  could  imitate  them ;  and  when  my  husband  took  leave  of 
her,  she  gave  him  the  parrot. " 

"  But  the  bird  never  whistles  the  tunes  any  more.  I  have  only 
heard  Paperl  do  it  once,  and  that  was  on  the  day  after  the  doctor1' s 
return  from  England. " 

"  I  know  the  reason  why.  The  bird  hears  here  every  day  so  much 
music,  and  so  many  new  melodies  which  the  doctor  plays  on  his 
piano,  that  its  head  has  grown  quite  confused,  and  poor  Paperl  has 
forgotten  its  tunes. " 

"It  has  not  forgotten  its  English  words,  though,"  murmured 
Catharine.  "  What  may  be  the  meaning  of  these  words  which  the 
bird  is  screaming  all  the  time?" 

"That  beautiful  Mrs.  Shaw  taught  Paperl  to  pronounce  them, 
Catharine.  I  do  not  know  their  precise  meaning,  but  they  com- 
mence as  follows  :  'Forget  me  not,  forget  me  not — '  Good  Heaven  ! 
the  bird  has  commenced  screaming  again.  I  am  sure  it  has  not  had 
any  sugar  to-day.  Where  is  Conrad  ?  He  ought  to  attend  to  the  bird. " 

"He  has  gone  down  town.  The  doctor  has  given  him  several 
errands. " 

"  Good  Heaven  !  the  screams  are  almost  intolerable.  Go,  Catha- 
rine, and  give  poor  Paperl  a  piece  of  sugar. " 

"  I  dare  not,  madame  ;  it  always  snaps  at  me  with  its  abominable 
beak,  and  if  the  chain  did  not  prevent  it  from  attacking  me,  it 
would  scratch  out  my  eyes. " 

"I  am  afraid  of  it,  too,"  said  the  lady,  anxiously  ;  "nevertheless 
we  cannot  permit  the  bird  to  go  on  in  this  manner.  Just  listen  to 
it — it  is  yelling  as  though  it  were  going  to  be  roasted.  It  will  disturb 
my  husband,  and  you  know  the  doctor  is  composing  a  new  piece. 
Come,  Catharjjie,  we  must  quiet  the  bird.  I  will  give  him  the  sugar. " 

"And  I  shall  take  my  knitting-needles  along,  and  if  it  should 
try  to  bite,  I  will  hit  it  on  the  beak.  Let  us  go  now,  madame. " 

And  the  two  women  walked  boldly  across  the  anteroom,  toward 
the  door  of  the  small  parlor,  in  order  to  commence  the  campaign 
against  the  parrot.  The  cat  followed  them  gravely  and  solemnly, 
and  with  an  air  as  though  it  had  taken  the  liveliest  interest  in  the 
conversation,  and  thought  it  might  greatly  assist  them  in  pacifying 
the  screaming  bird. 


JOSEPH   HAYDN.  33 

CHAPTER  VI. 

JOSEPH  HAYDN. 

WHILE  the  parrot's  screams  had  rendered  the  mistress  and  her 
maid  so  uneasy,  the  most  profound  stillness  and  quiet  reigned  in  the 
upper  rooms  of  the  little  house.  Not  a  sound  interrupted  the  silence 
of  this  small,  elegantly -furnished  sitting-room.  Even  the  sun  ap- 
parently dared  only  to  send  a  few  stealthy  beams  through  the  win- 
dows, and  the  wind  seemed  to  hold  its  breath  in  order  not  to  shake 
the  panes  of  the  small  chamber  adjoining,  venerated  by  all  the 
inmates  of  the  house  as  a  sacred  temple  of  art. 

In  this  small  chamber,  in  this  temple  of  art,  a  gentleman,  appar- 
ently engaged  in  reading,  was  seated  at  a  table  covered  with  papers 
and  music-books,  close  to  an  open  piano.  He  was  no  longer  young ; 
on  the  contrary,  beholding  only  the  thin  white  hair  hanging  down 
on  his  expansive  and  wrinkled  forehead,  and  his  stooping  form,  it 
became  evident  that  he  was  an  old  man,  nearly  seventy  years  of  age. 
But  as  soon  as  he  raised  his  eyes  from  the  paper,  as  soon  as  he  turned 
them  toward  heaven  with  an  air  of  blissful  enthusiasm,  the  fire  of 
eternal  youth  and  radiant  joyousness  burst  forth  from  those  eyes ; 
and  whatever  the  white  hair,  the  wrinkled  forehead,  the  furrowed 
cheeks  and  the  stooping  form  might  tell  of  the  long  years  of  his  life, 
those  eyes  were  full  of  youthful  ardor  and  strength — only  the  body 
of  this  white-haired  man  was  old;  in  his  soul  he  had  remained 
young — a  youth  of  fervid  imagination,  procreative  power,  and 
nervous  activity. 

This  venerable  man  with  the  soul,  the  heart,  and  the  eyes  of  a 
youth,  was  Joseph  Haydn,  the  great  composer,  whose  glory,  even  at 
that  time,  filled  the  whole  world,  although  he  had  not  yet  written 
his  greatest  masterpieces — the  "  Creation"  and  the  "  Seasons. " 

He  was  working  to-day  at  the  "Creation."*  The  poem,  which 
had  been  sent  to  him  from  England,  and  which  his  worthy  friend 
Von  Swieten  had  translated  into  German,  lay  before  him.  He  had 
read  it  again  and  again,  and  gradually  it  seemed  as  if  the  words 
were  transformed  into  music ;  gradually  he  heard  whispering — low 
at  first,  then  louder,  and  more  sublime  and  majestic — the  jubilant 
choirs  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  were  to  resound  in  his  "  Creation. " 

As  yet  he  had  not  written  a  single  note ;  he  had  only  read  the 
poem,  and  composed  in  reading,  and  inwardly  weighed  and  tried 
the  sublime  melodies  which,  when  reduced  to  time  and  measure, 
and  combined  into  an  harmonious  whole,  were  to  form  the  new  im- 

*  Hadyn  commenced  the  "Creation  "  in  1797,  and  finished  it  in  April,  1798. 


84  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

mortal  work  of  his  genius.  While  thus  reading  and  composing,  the 
aged  musician  was  transformed  more  and  more  into  a  youth,  and 
the  glowing  enthusiasm  which  burst  forth  from  his  eyes  became 
every  moment  more  radiant,  surrounding  his  massive  forehead  with 
a  halo  of  inspiration,  and  shedding  the  purple  lustre  of  ecstatic  joy 
upon  his  furrowed  cheeks. 

"  Yes,  yes,  it  will  do.  I  shall  succeed  !"  he  exclaimed  suddenly, 
in  a  loud  and  full  voice.  "  God  will  give  me  the  strength  to  com- 
plete this  work ;  but  it  must  be  commenced  with  Him — strength 
and  inspiration  come  from  Him  alone  !" 

And  Joseph  Haydn,  perhaps  not  quite  conscious  of  what  he  was 
doing,  knelt  down  and  with  folded  hands,  and  beaming  eyes  lifted 
up  to  heaven,  he  prayed  :  "  O,  Lord  God,  give  me  Thy  blessing  and 
Thy  strength,  that  I  may  gloriously  and  successfully  carry  out  this 
work,  which  praiseth  Thee  and  Thy  creation.  Breathe  Thy  Holy 
Spirit  into  the  words  which  Thou  speakest  in  my  work.  Speak 
through  me  to  Thy  creatures,  and  let  my  music  be  Thy  language  !" 

He  paused,  but  remaining  on  his  knees,  continued  to  look  up  to 
heaven.  Then  he  rose  slowly,  and  like  a  seer  or  a  somnambulist, 
with  eyes  opened  but  seeing  nothing,  he  went  to  his  piano  without 
knowing  what  he  was  doing.  He  sat  down  on  the  stool,  and  did 
not  know  it ;  his  hands  touched  the  keys  and  drew  magnificent 
chords  from  them,  and  he  did  not  hear  them.  He  only  heard  the 
thousands  of  seraphic  voices  which  in  his  breast  chanted  sublime 
anthems  ;  he  only  heard  the  praise  of  his  own  winged  soul  which, 
in  divine  ecstasy,  soared  far  into  the  realm  of  eternal  harmonies. 

Louder  and  louder  rolled  the  music  he  drew  from  the  keys  ;  now 
it  burst  forth  into  a  tremendous  jubilee,  then  again  it  died  away  in 
melancholy  complaints  and  gentle  whispers,  and  again  it  broke  out 
into  a  swelling,  thundering  anthem. 

At  length  Haydn  concluded  with  a  sonorous  and  brilliant  passage, 
and  then  with  youthful  agility  jumped  up  from  his  seat. 

"  That  was  the  prelude, "  he  said,  aloud,  "  and  now  we  will  go  to 
work. " 

He  hastily  threw  the  white  and  comfortable  dressing-gown  from 
his  shoulders  and  rapidly  walked  toward  the  looking-glass  which 
hung  over  the  bureau.  Every  thing  was  ready  for  his  toilet,  the 
footman  having  carefully  arranged  the  whole.  He  put  the  cravat 
with  lace  trimmings  around  his  neck  and  arranged  the  tie  before 
the  looking-glass  in  the  most  artistic  manner ;  then  he  slipped  into 
the  long  waistcoat  of  silver-lined  velvet,  and  finally  put  on  the  long- 
tailed  brown  coat  with  bright  metal  buttons.  He  was  just  going  to 
put  the  heavy  silver  watch,  which  his  wife  had  given  him  on  their 
wedding-day,  into  his  vest-pocket,  when  his  eye  fell  upon  the  blue 


JOSEPH   HAYDN.  35 

ribbon  embroidered  with  silver,  which,  ever  since  his  visit  to  the 
imperial  palace,  had  lain  on  the  bureau. 

"  I  will  wear  it  on  this  holiday  of  mine, "  said  Haydn,  with  great 
warmth,  "  for  I  think  the  day  on  which  a  new  work  is  begun  is  a 
holiday,  and  we  ought  to  wear  our  choicest  ornaments  to  celebrate  it. " 

He  attached  the  ribbon  to  his  watch,  threw  it  over  his  neck,  and 
slipped  the  watch  into  his  vest-pocket. 

"  If  that  beautiful  Mrs.  Shaw  could  see  me  now, "  he  whispered, 
almost  inaudibly,  "how  her  magnificent  eyes  would  sparkle,  and 
what  a  heavenly  smile  would  animate  her  angelic  features !  Yes, 
yes,  I  will  remember  her  smile — it  shall  find  an  echo  in  the  jubilant 
accords  of  my  Creation.  But  let  us  begin — let  us  begin  !" 

He  rapidly  walked  toward  his  desk,  but  stopped  suddenly. 
" Hold  on  !"  said  he  ;  "I  really  forgot  the  most  important  thing — my 
ring.  While  looking  at  the  precious  ribbon  of  my  beautiful  English 
friend,  I  did  not  think  of  the  ring  of  my  great  king — and  still  it  is 
the  talisman  without  which  I  cannot  work  at  all. " 

Returning  once  more  to  the  bureau,  he  opened  a  small  case  and 
took  from  it  a  ring  which  he  put  on  his  finger.  He  contemplated 
the  large  and  brilliant  diamonds  of  the  ring  with  undisguised 
admiration. 

"  Yes, "  he  exclaimed — "  yes,  thou  art  my  talisman,  and  when  I 
look  at  thee,  it  seems  to  me  as  if  I  saw  the  eyes  of  the  great  king 
beaming  down  upon  me,  and  pouring  courage  and  enthusiasm  into 
my  heart.  That  is  the  reason,  too,  why  I  cannot  work  unless  I  have 
the  ring  on  my  finger.*  But  now  I  am  ready  and  adorned  like  a 
bridegroom  who  is  going  to  his  young  bride.  Yes,  yes,  it  is  just  so 
with  me.  I  am  going  to  my  bride — to  St.  Cecilia !" 

When  he  now  returned  to  his  desk,  his  features  assumed  a  grave 
and  solemn  expression.  He  sat  down  once  more  at  the  piano  and 
played  an  anthem,  then  he  resumed  his  seat  at  the  desk,  took  a  sheet 
of  music-paper  and  commenced  writing.  He  wielded  his  pen  with 
the  utmost  rapidity,  and  covered  page  after  page  with  the  queer 
little  dots  and  dashes  which  we  call  notes. 

And  Haydn's  eyes  flashed  and  his  cheeks  glowed,  and  a  heavenly 
smile  played  on  his  lips  while  he  was  writing.  But  all  of  a  sudden 
his  pen  stopped,  and  a  slight  cloud  settled  on  his  brow.  Some  pas- 
sage, may  be  a  modulation,  had  displeased  him,  in  what  he  had  just 
composed,  for  he  glanced  over  the  last  few  lines  and  shook  his  head. 
He  looked  down  sadly  and  dropped  the  pen. 

*  Haydn  had  dedicated  six  quartets  to  Frederick  the  Great,  who  acknowledged 
the  compliment  by  sending  him  a  valuable  diamond  ring.  Haydn  wore  this  ring 
•whenever  he  composed  a  new  work,  and  it  seemed  to  him  as  though  inspiration 
failed  him  unless  he  wore  the  ring.  He  stated  this  on  many  occasions. 


36  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"Help  me,  O  Lord  God — help  me!"  he  exclaimed,  and  hastily 
seized  the  rosary  which  always  lay  on  his  desk.  "  Help  me !"  he 
muttered  once  more,  and,  while  hurriedly  pacing  the  room,  he 
slipped  the  beads  of  the  rosary  through  his  fingers  and  whispered  an 
Ave  Maria. 

His  prayer  seemed  to  have  the  desired  effect,  for  the  cloud  disap- 
peared from  his  forehead,  and  his  eyes  beamed  again  with  the  fervor 
of  inspiration.  He  resumed  his  seat  and  wrote  on  with  renewed 
energy.  A  holy  peace  now  settled  on  his  serene  features,  and  reigned 
around  him  in  the  silent  little  cabinet. 

But  all  at  once  this  peaceful  stillness  was  interrupted  by  a  loud 
noise  resounding  from  below.  Vociferous  lamentations  were  heard, 
and  heavy  footsteps  ascended  the  staircase. 

Haydn,  however,  did  not  hear  any  thing — his  genius  was  soaring 
far  away  in  the  realm  of  inspiration,  and  divine  harmonies  still 
enchanted  his  ears. 

But  now  the  door  of  the  small  parlor  was  opened  violently,  and 
his  wife,  with  a  face  deadly  pale  and  depicting  the  liveliest  anxiety, 
rushed  into  the  room.  Catharine  and  Conrad,  the  aged  footman, 
appeared  behind  her,  while  the  cat  slipped  in  with  her  mistress,  and 
the  parrot  ejaculated  the  most  frantic  and  piercing  screams. 

Haydn  started  in  dismay  from  his  seat  and  stared  at  his  wife 
Without  being  able  to  utter  a  single  word.  It  was  something  un- 
heard of  for  him  to  be  disturbed  by  his  wife  during  his  working 
hours,  hence  he  very  naturally  concluded  that  something  unusual, 
something  really  terrible  must  have  occurred,  and  the  frightened 
looks  of  his  wife,  the  pale  faces  of  his  servants,  plainly  told  him 
that  he  was  not  mistaken. 

"  Oh,  husband — poor,  dear  husband  !"  wailed  his  wife,  "  pack  up 
your  papers,  the  time  for  working  and  composing  is  past.  Conrad 
has  brought  the  most  dreadful  tidings  from  the  city.  We  are  all 
lost ! — Vienna  is  lost !  Oh,  dear,  dear !  it  is  awful,  and  I  tell  you  I 
am  almost  frightened  out  of  my  senses  !" 

And  the  old  lady,  trembling  like  an  aspen-leaf,  threw  herself 
into  an  arm-chair. 

"What  in  Heaven's  name  is  the  matter?"  asked  Haydn — "what 
is  it  that  has  frightened  you  thus  ?  Conrad,  tell  me  what  is  the  news  ?" 

"Oh,  my  dear  master,"  wailed  Conrad,  approaching  the  doctor 
with  folded  hands  and  shaking  knees,  "  it  is  all  up  with  us  !  Aus- 
tria is  lost — Vienna  is  lost — and  consequently  we  are  lost,  too !  Late 
dispatches  have  arrived  from  the  army.  Ah  !  what  do  I  say? — army? 
We  have  no  longer  an  army — our  forces  are  entirely  dispersed — Arch- 
duke Charles  has  lost  another  battle — old  Wurmser  has  been  driven 
back— and  General  Bonaparte  is  advancing  upon  Vienna. " 


JOSEPH    HAYDN.  37 

"These  are  sad  tidings,  indeed,"  said  Haydn,  shrugging  hia 
shoulders,  "  still  they  are  no  reason  why  we  should  despair.  If  the 
archduke  has  lost  a  battle — why,  all  generals  have  lost  battles — *' 

"  Bonaparte  never  lost  one, "  replied  Conrad,  with  a  profound 
sigh,  "  he  wins  every  battle,  and  devours  all  countries  he  wants  to 
conquer. " 

"We  must  pack  up  our  things,  Joseph,"  said  Mrs.  Haydn — "we 
must  bury  our  money,  our  plate,  and  especially  your  jewels  and  trin- 
kets, so  that  those  French  robbers  and  cannibals  will  not  find  them. 
Come,  husband,  let  us  go  to  work  quickly,  before  they  come  and  take 
every  thing  from  us. " 

"Hush,  wife,  hush!"  said  Haydn,  mildly,  and  a  gentle  smile 
overspread  his  features.  "  Never  fear  about  our  few  trifles,  and  do 
not  think  that  the  French  just  want  to  come  to  Vienna  for  what  few 
gold  snuff-boxes  and  rings  I  have  got.  If  they  were  anxious  for 
gold  and  jewels,  coming  as  they  do  as  enemies,  they  might  simply 
open  the  imperial  treasury  and  take  there  all  they  want.  * 

"  Yes,  but  they  would  not  find  any  thing, "  said  Conrad.  "  The 
treasury  is  empty,  doctor,  entirely  empty.  Every  thing  is  gone ; 
there  is  not  a  single  crown,  not  a  single  precious  stone  left  in  the 
treasury. " 

"Well,  and  where  is  the  whole  treasure  then,  you  fool?"  asked 
Haydn,  with  a  smile. 

"  They  have  taken  it  to  Presburg,  master.  I  saw  the  wagons  my- 
self— soldiers  rode  in  front  of  them,  soldiers  behind  them.  All  streets, 
all  places  were  crowdecl  with  people,  and  a  riot  broke  out,  and  oh ! 
such  lamentations,  such  wails  ! — and  finally  the  people  became  des- 
perate, and  roared  and  yelled  that  the  government  should  make  peace, 
and  prevent  the  French  from  coming  to  Vienna  and  bombarding 
the  city ;  and  in  their  desperation  they  grew  quite  bold  and  brave, 
and  thousands  of  them  marched  to  the  house  of  Minister  Thugut, 
whom  they  call  the  real  emperor  of  Vienna,  and  tried  to  compel  him 
to  make  peace. " 

"Sad,  sad  tidings,  indeed!"  sighed  Haydn,  shaking  his  head. 
"Worse  than  I  thought.  The  people  riotous  and  rebellious — the 
army  defeated — and  the  enemy  marching  upon  Vienna.  But  don't 
despair — courage,  courage,  children  ;  let  us  put  our  trust  in  God  and 
our  excellent  emperor.  Those  two  will  never  forsake  us — they  will 
guard  and  protect  Vienna,  and  never  suffer  a  single  stone  to  be 
taken  from  its  walls. " 

"Ah,  husband,  don't  count  any  longer  upon  the  emperor,"  said 
his  wife.  "  For  that  is  the  worst  part  of  the  news,  and  shows  that 
every  thing  is  lost :  the  emperor  has  left  Vienna. " 

"  What !"    exclaimed  Haydn,    and  his  face  grew  flushed  with 


38  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

anger.  "What,  they  dare  to  slander  the  emperor  so  infamously  as 
that !  They  dare  to  assert  that  the  emperor  has  forsaken  his  Vien- 
nese when  they  are  in  danger?  No,  no,  the  emperor  is  an  honest 
man  and  a  faithful  prince  ;  he  will  share  good  and  evil  days  alike 
with  his  people.  A  good  shepherd  does  not  leave  his  flock,  a  good 
prince  does  not  leave  his  people. " 

"  But  the  emperor  has  forsaken  us, "  said  Conrad  ;  "  it  is  but  too 
true,  master.  All  Vienna  knows  it,  and  all  Vienna  mourns  over  it. 
The  emperor  is  gone,  and  so  are  the  empress  and  the  imperial  chil- 
dren. All  are  gone  and  off  for  Presburg. " 

"  Gone  !  the  emperor  gone  !"  muttered  Haydn,  mournfully,  and  a 
deadly  paleness  suddenly  covered  his  cheeks.  "  Oh,  poor  Austria ! 
poor  people  !  Thy  emperor  has  forsaken  thee — he  has  fled  from  thee  !" 

He  sadly  inclined  his  head,  and  profound  sighs  escaped  from  his 
breast. 

"Do  you  see  now,  husband,  that  I  was  right?"  asked  his  wife. 
*  Is  it  not  true  that  it  is  high  time  for  us  to  think  of  our  property, 
and  to  pack  up  and  bury  our  valuables?" 

"  No !"  exclaimed  Haydn,  raising  his  head  again ;  "  this  is  no 
time  to  think  of  ourselves,  and  of  taking  care  of  our  miserable  prop- 
erty. The  emperor  has  left — that  means,  the  emperor  is  in  danger ; 
and  therefore,  as  his  faithful  subjects,  we  should  pray  for  him,  and 
all  our  thoughts  and  wishes  should  only  be  devoted  to  his  welfare. 
In  the  hour  of  danger  we.  should  not  be  faint-hearted,  and  bow  our 
heads,  but  lift  them  up  to  God,  and  hope  and  trust  in  Him  !  Why 
do  the  people  of  Vienna  lament  and  despair?*  They  should  sing  and 
pray,  so  that  the  Lord  God  above  may  hear  their  voices — they  should 
sing  and  pray,  and  I  will  teach  them  how  !" 

And  with  proud  steps  Haydn  went  to  the  piano,  and  his  hands 
began  to  play  gently,  at  first,  a  simple  and  choral-like  air ;  but  soon 
the  melody  grew  stronger  and  more  impressive.  Haydn's  face  be- 
came radiant ;  instinctively  opening  his  lips,  he  sang  in  an  enthusi- 
astic and  ringing  voice  words  which  he  had  never  known  before — 
words  which,  with  the  melody,  had  spontaneously  gushed  from  his 
soul.  What  his  lips  sang  was  a  prayer,  and,  at  the  same  time,  a 
hymn  of  victory — full  of  innocent  and  child-like  piety : 

"Gott  erhalte  Franz  den  Kaiser, 
Unsern  guten  Kaiser  Franz, 
Lange  lebe  Franz  der  Kaiser 
In  des  Qlilckes  hellem  Olanzl 
Ihin  erbliihen  Lorbeerreiser, 
Wo  er  geht,  zum  Ehrenkranz  I 
Gott  erhalte  Franz  den  Kaiser, 
Unsern  guten  Kaiser  Franz  1 "  * 
*The  celebrated  Austrian  hymn,  "Godsftve  the  Emperor  Francis." 


JOSEPH   HAYDN.  39 

Profound  silence  prevailed  while  Haydn  was  singing,  and  when 
he  concluded  with  a  firm  and  ringing  accord  and  turned  around,  he 
saw  that  his  wife,  overcome  with  emotion,  with  folded  hands  and 
eyes  lifted  up  to  heaven,  had  sunk  down  on  her  knees,  and  that  old 
Catharine  and  Conrad  were  kneeling  behind  her,  while  the  cat  stood 
between  them  listening  to  the  music  as  it  were,  and  even  the  parrot 
below  seemed  to  listen  to  the  new  hymn,  for  its  screams  had  ceased. 

A  smile  of  delight  played  on  Haydn's  lips  and  rendered  his  face 
again  young  and  beautiful.  "  Now,  sing  with  me,  all  three  of  you, " 
he  said.  "  Sing  loudly  and  firmly,  that  God  may  hear  us.  I  will 
commence  again  at  the  beginning,  and  you  shall  accompany  me. " 

He  touched  the  keys  vigorously,  and  sang  once  more,  "  God  save 
the  Emperor  Francis !"  and  carried  away  by  the  melody  so  simple 
and  yet  so  beautiful,  the  two  women  and  the  old  footman  sang  with 
him  the  tender  and  artless  words. 

"  And  now, "  said  Haydn,  eagerly,  "now,  I  will  write  down  the 
melody  on  the  spot,  and  then  you  shall  run  with  it  to  Councillor  von 
Swieten.  He  must  add  a  few  verses  to  it.  And  then  we  will  have 
it  copied  as  often  as  possible — we  will  circulate  it  in  the  streets,  and 
sing  it  in  all  public  places,  and  if  the  French  really  should  come  to 
Vienna,  the  whole  people  shall  receive  them  with  the  jubilant  hymn, 
'God  save  the  Emperor  Francis  !'  And  God  will  hear  our  song,  and 
He  will  be  touched  by  our  love,  and  He  will  lead  him  back  to  us, 
our  good  Emperor  Francis. " 

He  sat  down  at  his  desk,  and  in  youthful  haste  wrote  down  the 
music.  "  So, "  he  said  then,  "  take  it,  Conrad,  take  it  to  Herr  von 
Swieten  ;  tell  him  it  is  my  imperial  hymn.  Oh,  I  believe  it  will  be 
useful  to  the  emperor,  and  therefore  I  swear  that  I  will  play  it  every 
day  as  long  as  I  live.  My  first  prayer  always  shall  be  for  the  em- 
peror.* And  now  run,  Conrad,  and  ask  Herr  von  Swieten  to  finish 
the  poem  quickly,  and  you,  women,  leave  me.  I  feel  the  ideas 
burning  in  my  head,  and  the  melodies  gushing  from  my  heart.  The 
hymn  has  inspired  me  with  genuine  enthusiasm ;  and  now,  with 
God  and  my  emperor,  I  will  commence  my  Creation  I  But  you,  you 
must  not  despair — and  whenever  you  feel  dejected,  sing  my  imperial 

*  Haydn  kept  his  word,  and  from  that  time  played  the  hymn  every  day.  It 
was  even  the  last  piece  of  music  he  performed  before  his  death.  On  the  20th  of 
May,  1809,  he  played  the  hymn  three  times  in  succession.  From  the  piano  he  had 
to  be  carried  to  his  bed,  which  he  never  left  again.  When  Iffland  paid  him  a  visit 
in  1807,  Haydn  played  the  hymn  for  him.  He  then  remained  a  few  moments  be- 
fore the  instrument — placed  his  hands  on  it,  and  said,  in  the  tone  of  a  venerable 
patriarch:  "I  play  this  hymn  every  morning,  and  in  times  of  adversity  have  often 
derived  consolation  and  courage  from  it.  I  cannot  help  it— I  must  play  it  at  least 
once  a  day.  I  feel  greatly  at  ease  whenever  I  do  so,  and  even  a  good  while  af  ter- 
ward."— "Inland's  Theatrical  Almanac  for  1855,"  p.  181. 


40  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

hymn,  and  pour  consolation  and  courage  into  your  hearts — into  the 
hearts  of  all  Austrians  who  will  sing  it.  For  not  only  for  you,  but 
for  Austria,  I  have  sung  my  hymn,  and  it  shall  belong  to  the  whole 
Austrian  people  1" 


CHAPTER    VII. 

GENERAL     BONAPARTE. 

AT  length  peace  was  to  be  concluded.  For  several  weeks  had  the 
three  Austrian  plenipotentiaries  been  at  Udine  ;  the  Austrian  court 
having  sent  with  Count  Meerveldt  and  Count  Louis  Cobenzl  the 
Marquis  de  Gallo,  who,  although  Neapolitan  ambassador  at  Vienna, 
and  therefore,  not  in  the  imperial  service,  acted  as  their  adviser. 

General  Bonaparte  was  at  Passeriano  :  he  alone  had  been  author- 
ized by  the  great  French  Republic  to  conclude  peace  with  Austria, 
or  to  renew  the  war,  just  as  he  saw  fit. 

The  eyes  of  France  and  Germany,  nay  of  all  Europe,  were  riveted 
upon  this  small  point  on  the  border  of  Germany  and  Italy,  for  there 
the  immediate  future  of  Europe  was  to  be  decided  ;  there  the  dice 
were  to  fall  which  were  to  bring  peace  or  war  to  the  world. 

Austria  wanted  peace ;  it  was  a  necessity  for  her,  because  she 
did  not  feel  strong  enough  for  war,  and  was  afraid  of  the  dangers 
and  losses  of  continued  defeats.  But  she  did  not  want  peace,  cotite 
qui  cotite;  she  wanted  to  derive  substantial  advantages  from  it — she 
intended  to  aggrandize  herself  at  the  expense  of  Italy,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  Prussia — and,  if  need  be,  at  the  expense  of  Germany. 

But  what  did  France  want,  or  rather,  what  did  General  Bona- 
parte want?  None  but  himself  knew.  None  could  read  his  thoughts 
in  his  marble  countenance.  None  could  decipher  his  future  actions 
from  his  laconic  utterances.  None  could  tell  what  Bonaparte  in- 
tended to  do,  and  what  aim  his  ambition  had  in  view. 

The  negotiations  with  Austria  had  been  going  on  for  months. 
For  several  weeks  the  Austrian  plenipotentiaries  and  General  Bona- 
parte had  had  daily  interviews  of  many  hours'  duration,  which 
alternately  took  place  at  Udine  and  at  Passeriano,  but  the  work  of 
pacification  would  not  come  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion.  Austria 
demanded  too  much,  and  France  would  not  yield  enough.  These 
conferences  had  frequently  assumed  a  very  stormy  character,  and 
often,  during  the  debates,  Bonaparte's  voice  had  resounded  in  thun- 
dering tones,  and  flashes  of  anger  had  burst  forth  from  his  eyes. 
But  the  Austrian  plenipotentiaries  had  not  been  struck  by  them. 
The  flashes  from  the  great  chieftain's  eyes  had  recoiled  powerlessly 
from  their  imperturbable  smile.  When  his  voice  thundered  at 


GENERAL   BONAPARTE.  41 

them,  they  had  lowered  their  heads  only  to  raise  them  slowly  again 
as  soon  as  the  general  was  silent. 

To-day,  on  the  thirteenth  of  October,  another  interview  was  to 
take  place,  at  the  hotel  of  Count  Cobenzl,  and  perhaps  that  was  the 
reason  why  General  Bonaparte  had  risen  at  an  unusually  early  hour 
in  the  morning.  He  had  just  finished  his  toilet ;  the  four  valets 
'vho  had  assisted  him  had  just  concluded  their  task.  As  usual,  Bo- 
naparte had  suffered  them  to  dress  and  wash  him  like  a  child.* 
With  a  silent  gesture  he  now  ordered  the  servants  to  withdraw,  and 
called  out,  "  Bourrienne  !" 

The  door  was  opened  at  once,  and  a  tall  young  man,  in  the  citi- 
zen's dress  of  that  period,  stepped  in.  Bonaparte,  greeting  his 
youthful  secretary  with  a  slight  nod  of  his  head,  pointed  with  his 
hand  at  the  desk. 

Bourrienne  walked  noiselessly  to  the  desk,  sat  down,  took  a  pen 
and  some  blank  paper,  and  waited  for  what  the  general  would  have 
to  dictate. 

But  Bonaparte  was  silent.  With  his  hands  folded  on  his  back, 
he  commenced  rapidly  walking  up  and  down.  Bourrienne,  holding 
the  pen  in  his  hand  and  momentarily  ready  to  write,  enjoyed  this 
pause,  this  absorbed  pondering  of  the  general,  with  genuine  delight ; 
for  it  afforded  him  leisure  to  contemplate  Bonaparte,  to  study  his 
whole  appearance,  and  to  engrave  every  feature,  every  gesture  of 
the  conqueror  of  Italy  upon  his  mind. 

Bourrienne  was  an  old  friend  of  Bonaparte  ;  they  had  been  to- 
gether at  the  military  academy  ;  they  had  met  afterward  at  Paris — 
and  poor  young  Lieutenant  Bonaparte  had  often  been  glad  enough  to 
accept  a  dinner  at  the  hands  of  his  wealthier  friend. 

Only  a  few  years  had  elapsed  since  that  time,  and  now  Lieutenant 
Bonaparte  had  become  already  an  illustrious  general ;  while  Bour- 
rienne, whom  the  Terrorists  had  proscribed,  thankfully  accepted  the 
protection  of  his  old  comrade,  and  now  filled  the  position  of  private 
secretary  under  him. 

He  had  been  with  him  in  this  capacity  only  two  days — for  two 
days  he  had  seen  Bonaparte  every  hour,  and  yet  he  contemplated 
with  ever  new  surprise  this  wonderful  countenance,  in  which  he 
vainly  tried  to  recognize  the  features  of  the  friend  of  his  youth. 
True,  the  same  outlines  and  contours  were  still  there,  but  the  whole 
face  was  an  entirely  different  one.  No  traces  of  the  carelessness,  of 
the  harmless  hilarity  of  former  days,  were  left  in  these  features. 
His*!omplexion  was  pale  almost  to  sickliness  ;  his  figure,  which  did 
not  rise  above  the  middle  height,  was  slender  and  bony.  Upon  look- 

*"M6moiresde  Constant,  premier  valet  de  chambrederEmpereur  Napol6on," 
vol.  i.,  p.  180. 


42  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

ing  at  him,  you  seemed  at  first  to  behold  a  young  man  entirely  de- 
void of  strength,  and  hopelessly  doomed  to  an  early  death.  But  the 
longer  you  examined  him,  the  more  his  features  seemed  to  breathe 
vitality  and  spirit,  and  the  firmer  grew  the  conviction  that  this  was 
an  exceptional  being — a  rare  and  strange  phenomenon.  Once  accus- 
tomed to  his  apparent  pale  and  sickly  homeliness,  the  beholder  soon 
saw  it  transformed  into  a  fascinating  beauty  such  as  we  admire  on 
the  antique  Roman  cameos  and  old  imperial  coins.  His  classical 
and  regular  profile  seemed  to  be  modelled  after  these  antique  coins ; 
his  forehead,  framed  in  on  both  sides  with  fine  chestnut  hair,  was 
high  and  statuesque.  His  eyes  were  blue,  but  brimful  of  the  most 
wonderful  expression  and  sparkling  with  fire,  a  faithful  mirror  of 
his  fiery  soul,  now  exceedingly  mild  and  gentle,  and  then  again 
stern  and  even  harsh.  His  mouth  was  classically  beautiful — the 
finely-shaped  lips,  narrow  and  slightly  compressed,  especially  when 
in  anger ;  when  he  laughed,  he  displayed  two  rows  of  teeth,  not 
faultlessly  fine,  but  of  pearly  white.  Every  lineament,  every  single 
feature  of  his  face  was  as  regular  as  if  modelled  by  a  sculptor ; 
nevertheless  there  was  something  ugly  and  repulsive  in  the  whole, 
and  in  order  to  be  able  to  admire  it,  it  was  necessary  first  to  get 
accustomed  to  this  most  extraordinary  being.  Only  the  feet  and 
the  small  white  hands  were  so  surpassingly  beautiful  that  they 
enlisted  at  once  the  liveliest  admiration,  and  this  was  perhaps  the 
reason  why  General  Bonaparte,  who  otherwise  observed  the  greatest 
simplicity  in  his  toilet,  had  adorned  his  hands  with  several  splendid 
diamond  rings.  * 

Bourrienne  was  still  absorbed  in  contemplating  the  friend  of  his 
youth,  when  the  latter  suddenly  stood  still  before  him  and  looked  at 
him  with  a  pleasant  smile. 

"Why  do  you  stare  at  me  in  this  manner,  Bourrienne?"  he  asked 
in  his  abrupt  and  hasty  tone. 

"General,  I  only  contemplate  the  laurels  which  your  glorious 
victories  have  woven  around  your  brow,  since  I  saw  you  the  last 
time, "  said  Bourrienne. 

"Ah,  and  you  find  me  a  little  changed  since  you  saw  me  the  last 
time,"  replied  Bonaparte,  quickly.  "It  is  true,  the  years  of  our 
separation  have  produced  a  great  many  changes,  and  I  was  glad  that 
you  had  the  good  taste  to  perceive  this,  and  upon  meeting  me  under 
the  present  circumstances,  to  observe  a  becoming  and  delicate  re- 
serve. I  am  under  obligations  to  you  for  it,  and  from  to-day  you 
shall  be  chief  of  my  cabinet,  my  first  private  secretary."  \ 

Bourrienne  rose  to  thank  the  young  general  by  bowing  respect- 

*  M6moires  do  Constant,  vol.  i.,  p.  52. 

t  M6moires  de  Monsieur  de  Bourrienne,  vol.  i. ,  p.  83. 


GENERAL   BONAPARTE.  43 

fully,  but  Bonaparte  took  no  further  notice  of  him,  and  walked 
again  rapidly  up  and  down.  The  smile  had  already  vanished  from 
his  face,  which  had  resumed  its  immovable  and  impenetrable  ex- 
pression. 

Bourrienne  quietly  sat  down  again  and  waited ;  but  now  he 
dared  no  longer  look  at  Bonaparte,  the  general  having  noticed  it 
before. 

After  a  lengthy  pause,  Bonaparte  stood  still  close  to  the  desk. 
"Have  you  read  the  dispatches  which  the  Directory  sent  me  yes- 
terday through  their  spy,  M.  Botot?"  asked  the  general,  abruptly. 

"I  have,  general !" 

"They  are  unreasonable  fools,"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  angrily, 
"  they  want  to  direct  our  war  from  their  comfortable  sofas  in  the 
Luxembourg,  and  believe  their  ink-stained  hands  could  hold  the 
general's  baton  as  well  as  the  pen.  They  want  to  dictate  to  us  a 
new  war  from  Paris,  without  knowing  whether  we  are  able  to  bear 
it  or  not.  They  ask  us  to  conclude  peace  with  Austria  without 
ceding  Venice  to  her  as  compensation  for  Belgium.  Yes,  Talleyrand 
is  senseless  enough  to  ask  me  to  revolutionize  the  whole  of  Italy  once 
more,  so  that  the  Italians  may  expel  their  princes,  and  that  liberty 
may  prevail  throughout  the  entire  peninsula.  In  order  to  give  them 
liberty,  they  want  me  to  carry  first  war  and  revolution  into  their 
midst.  These  big-mouthed  and  ignorant  Parisians  do  not  know  that 
Italy  will  not  belong  to  us  in  reality  until  after  the  restoration  of 
peace,  and  that  the  Directory,  even  at  the  first  dawn  of  peace,  will 
rule  her  from  the  mountains  of  Switzerland  to  the  capes  of  Calabria. 
Then,  and  only  then,  the  Directory  will  be  able  to  alter  the  various 
governments  of  Italy,  and  for  this  very  reason  we  have  to  attach 
Austria  to  our  cause  by  a  treaty  of  peace.  As  soon  as  she  has  signed 
it,  she  will  no  longer  molest  us :  first,  because  she  is  our  ally  ;  and 
principally  because  she  will  apprehend  that  we  might  take  back  from 
her  what  we  generously  gave,  in  order  to  win  her  over  to  our  side. 
The  war  party  at  Vienna,  however,  will  not  submit  without  hoping 
for  some  counter-revolution — a  dream  which  the  emigres  and  the 
diplomacy  of  Pillnitz  still  cherishes  with  the  utmost  tenacity.* 
And  these  unreasonable  gentlemen  of  the  Directory  want  war  and 
revolution,  and  they  dare  to  accuse  me  of  selfish  motives.  Ah,  I 
am  yearning  for  repose,  for  retirement — I  feel  exhausted  and  dis- 
gusted, and  shall  for  the  third  time  send  in  my  resignation,  which 
the  Directory  twice  refused  to  accept." 

He  had  said  all  this  in  a  subdued  and  rapid  voice,  apparently 
only  talking  to  himself — the  only  man  worthy  of  learning  the  most 
secret  thoughts  of  his  soul — and  still  with  proud  disdain  toward  him 

*  Bonaparte's  own  words.    See  "Memoires  d'un  Hornme  d'fitat,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  578. 
MUHLBACH — C  VOL.    7 


44  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

who  could  overhear  every  word  he  said.  He  felt  as  though  he  were 
alone,  and  he  only  spoke  and  consulted  with  himself,  notwithstand- 
ing the  secretary's  presence. 

Another  long  pause  ensued,  Bonaparte  pacing  the  room  once  more 
with  rapid  steps.  Violent  and  impassioned  feelings  seemed  to  agi- 
tate his  breast ;  for  his  eyes  became  more  lustrous,  his  cheeks  were 
suffused  with  an  almost  imperceptible  blush,  and  he  breathed 
heavily  ;  as  if  oppressed  by  the  closeness  of  the  room,  and  in  want 
of  fresh  air,  for  he  stepped  up  to  the  window  and  opened  it  vio- 
lently. 

An  expression  of  amazement  escaped  from  his  lips,  for  the  land- 
scape, which  yesterday  was  clad  in  the  gorgeous  hues  of  autumn, 
now  offered  an  entirely  different  aspect.  Hoar-frost,  dense  and 
glittering,  covered  the  trees  and  the  verdure  of  the  meadows  ;  and 
the  Noric  Alps,  which  crowned  the  horizon  with  a  majestic  wreath, 
had  adorned  themselves  during  the  night  with  sparkling  robes  of 
snow  and  brilliant  diadems  of  ice. 

Bonaparte  looked  at  the  unexpected  spectacle  long  and  thought- 
fully. "  What  a  country  !"  He  then  whispered,  "  Snow  and  ice  in 
the  first  part  of  October !  Very  well !  we  must  make  peace  !  "  * 

He  closed  the  window  and  returned  to  the  desk. 

"  Give  me  the  army  register, "  he  said  to  Bourrienne,  and  took  a 
seat  at  his  side. 

Bourrienne  laid  the  books  and  papers  in  succession  before  him, 
and  Bonaparte  read  and  examined  them  with  close  attention. 

"  Yes, "  he  then  said,  after  a  long  pause,  "  it  is  true,  I  have  an 
army  of  nearly  eighty  thousand  men  ;  I  have  to  feed  and  pay  them, 
but,  on  the  battle-field,  I  could  not  count  on  more  than  sixty  thou- 
sand men.  I  should  win  the  battle,  but  lose  again  twenty  thousand 
men  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.  How,  then,  should  I  be  able 
to  resist  the  united  Austrian  forces,  which  would  hasten  to  the 
assistance  of  Vienna?  It  would  take  the  armies  on  the  Rhine  more 
than  a  month  to  come  up  in  supporting  distance,  and  in  the  course 
of  two  weeks  the  snow  will  have  blocked  up  all  roads  and  mountain- 
passes.  I  am  determined,  therefore,  to  make  peace.  Venice  must 
pay  for  the  war,  and  the  frontier  of  the  Rhine.  The  Directory  and 
the  learned  lawyers  may  say  what  they  please,  f  Write,  Bourrienne, 
I  will  now  dictate  my  reply." 

Bourrienne  took  his  pen  ;  Bonaparte  arose  from  his  seat,  and  fold- 
ing his  arms  on  his  breast,  he  resumed  his  promenade  across  the 
room,  dictating  slowly  and  clearly,  so  that  every  word  dropped  from 
his  lips  like  a  pearl,  until  gradually  the  course  of  his  speech  grew 

*  Bonaparte's  own  words.     Bourrienne,  vol.  i.,  p.  313. 

t  Bonaparte's  own  words.— "M6moires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  iv. ,  p.  558. 


GENERAL   BONAPARTE.  45 

more  rapid  and  rolled  along  in  an  unbroken,  fiery,  and  brilliant 
torrent. 

"  We  shall  sign  the  treaty  of  peace  to-day, "  he  dictated,  in  his 
imperious  tone,  "  or  break  off  the  negotiations  altogether.  Peace 
will  be  advantageous  to  us — war  with  Austria  will  injure  us ;  but 
war  with  England  opens  an  extensive,  highly  important  and  brill- 
iant field  of  action  to  our  arms. " 

And  now  he  explained  to  the  Directory  the  advantages  of  a  treaty 
of  peace  with  Austria,  and  of  a  war  with  England,  with  logical 
acuteness  and  precision.  His  words  were  no  less  pointed  and  sharp 
than  the  edge  of  his  sword,  and  as  brief,  stern,  and  cold  as  the 
utterances  of  a  Cato. 

He  then  paused  for  a  moment,  not  in  order  to  collect  his  thoughts, 
but  only  to  give  his  secretary  a  few  seconds'  rest,  and  to  get  a 
breathing- spell  for  himself. 

"  Let  us  go  on  now, "  he  said,  after  a  short  interval,  and  dictated 
in  an  enthusiastic  voice,  and  with  flaming  eyes :  "  If  I  have  been 
mistaken  in  my  calculations,  my  heart  is  pure,  and  my  intentions 
are  well  meaning.  I  have  not  listened  to  the  promptings  of  glory, 
of  vanity  and  ambition ;  I  have  only  regarded  the  welfare  of  the 
country  and  government.  If  they  should  not  approve  of  my  actions 
and  views,  nothing  is  left  to  me  but  to  step  back  into  the  crowd, 
put  on  the  wooden  shoes  of  Cincinnatus,  and  give  an  example  of 
respect  for  the  government,  and  of  aversion  to  military  rule,  which 
has  destroyed  so  many  republics,  and  annihilated  so  many  states. "  * 

"Are  you  through?"  asked  Bonaparte,  drawing  a  long  breath. 

"  Yes,  general,  I  am. " 

"Then  take  another  sheet,  my  friend.  We  are  going  to  write 
now  to  the  sly  fox  who  generally  perceives  every  hole  where  he  may 
slip  in,  and  who  has  such  an  excellent  nose  that  he  scents  every 
danger  and  every  advantage  from  afar.  But  this  time  he  has  lost 
the  trail  and  is  entirely  mistaken.  I  will,  therefore,  show  him  the 
way.  'To  Citizen  Talleyrand,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs.'  Did 
you  write  the  address?" 

"Yes,  general." 

"Well,  goon." 

And  without  stopping  a  single  time,  and  even  without  hesitating, 
Bonaparte  dictated  the  following  letter  : 

"In  three  or  four  hours,  citizen  minister,  every  thing  will  be 
decided — peace  or  war.  I  confess  that  I  shall  do  every  thing  to  make 
peace,  in  consequence  of  the  advanced  season  and  the  slim  prospect 
of  achieving  important  successes. 

"  You  know  very  little  about  the  nations  of  the  peninsula  ;  they 
*  Bonaparte's  own  words. — "M6moires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  558. 


46  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

do  not  deserve  that  forty  thousand  French  soldiers  should  be  killed 
for  their  sake.  I  see  from  your  letter  that  you  always  argue  from 
unfounded  premises.  You  fancy  that  liberty  would  make  a  great 
impression  upon  a  lazy,  superstitious,  cowardly,  and  degraded 
people. 

"You  ask  me  to  do  miracles,  and  I  cannot  perform  them.  Ever 
since  I  came  to  Italy,  the  nation's  desire  for  liberty  and  equality 
was  not  my  ally,  or  at  best  it  was  but  a  very  feeble  one.  Whatever 
is  merely  good  to  be  mentioned  in  proclamations  and  printed 
speeches  is  worth  no  more  than  a  novel. 

"  Hoping  that  the  negotiations  will  have  a  favorable  issue,  I  do 
not  enter  upon  further  details  to  enlighten  you  about  many  matters 
which  apparently  have  been  misunderstood.  Only  by  prudence, 
sagacity,  and  determination  we  are  able  to  realize  great  objects  and 
surmount  all  obstacles  ;  otherwise  all  our  efforts  will  prove  unavail- 
ing. Frequently  there  is  but  a  single  step  from  victory  to  ruin. 
In  highly  critical  times,  I  have  always  noticed  that  a  mere  nothing 
decided  the  most  important  events. 

"It  is  characteristic  of  our  nation  to  be  too  rash  and  fiery  in 
prosperity.  If  we  adopt  a  sagacious  policy,  which  is  nothing  but 
the  result  of  the  calculation  of  combination  and  chances  as  a  base 
for  our  operations,  we  shall  long  remain  the  greatest  nation  and 
most  powerful  state  in  Europe — nay,  more,  we  shall  hold  the  balance 
of  power,  we  shall  make  it  incline  wherever  we  desire,  and  if  it 
were  the  will  of  Providence,  it  would  be  no  impossibility  to  achieve 
in  the  course  of  a  few  years  those  great  results  which  a  glowing  and 
excised  imagination  perhaps  foresees,  but  which  only  a  man  of  ex- 
traordinary coolness,  perseverance,  and  prudence  is  able  to  accom- 
plish if—"  * 

Bonaparte  paused  suddenly  as  if  he  had  been  about  to  betray  a 
profound  secret,  and  stopped  exactly  when  it  was  not  yet  too  late  to 
keep  it  buried  within  his  own  breast. 

"  It  is  enough, "  he  then  said,  "  erase  the  last  word  and  close  the 
letter.  What  makes  you  look  at  me  so  strangely,  Bourrienne?" 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  general,  I  had  a  vision.  It  seemed  to  me  as 
if  an  oriflamme  were  burning  on  your  head,  and  I  believe  if  all  nations 
and  all  men  could  behold  you  as  I  saw  you  just  now,  they  would 
believe  once  more  in  the  fables  of  pagan  mythology,  and  feel  satis- 
fied that  Jove  the  Thunderer  had  deigned  to  descend  once  more  into 
our  human  world. " 

Bonaparte  smiled,  and  this  smile  lighted  up  his  face,  previously 
so  stern  and  rigid. 

"  You  are  a  flatterer  and  a  courtier, "  he  said,  playfully  pinching 
*  "M6moires  d'un  Homme d'fitat,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  581. 


GENERAL   BONAPARTE.  i7 

Bourrienne's  ear  so  violently  that  the  latter  was  scarcely  able  to 
conceal  a  shriek  of  pain  under  a  smile.  "  Yes,  indeed,  you  are  a 
regular  courtier,  and  the  republic  has  done  well  to  banish  you,  for 
flattery  is  something  very  aristocratic,  and  injurious  to  our  stiff 
republican  dignity.  And  what  an  idea,  to  compare  me  to  Jove 
appearing  on  earth  !  Don't  you  know,  then,  you  learned  scholar  and 
flatterer,  that  Jove,  whenever  he  descended  from  Olympus,  was  in 
pursuit  of  a  very  worldly  and  entirely  ungodly  adventure?  It  would 
only  remain  for  you  to  inform  my  Josephine  that  I  was  about  to 
transform  myself  into  an  ox  for  the  sake  of  some  beautiful  Europa, 
or  drop  down  in  the  shape  of  a  golden  rain  to  gain  the  love  of  a 
Danae. " 

"  General,  the  sagacious  and  spirited  Josephine  would  believe  the 
former  to  be  impossible,  for  even  if  you  should  succeed  in  perform- 
ing all  the  miracles  of  the  world,  you  could  never  transform  yourself 
into  an  ox. " 

"What  1  you  compared  me  a  minute  ago  with  Jove,  and  now  you 
doubt  already  whether  I  could  accomplish  what  Jove  has  done !" 
exclaimed  Bonaparte,  laughing.  "All,  flatterer,  you  see  I  have 
caught  you  in  your  own  meshes.  But  would  my  Josephine  believe, 
then,  that  I  could  transform  myself  into  a  golden  rain  for  the  pur- 
pose of  winning  a  Danae,  you  arrant  rogue?" 

"  Yes,  general,  but  she  always  would  take  good  care  to  be  that 
Danae  herself. " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  you  are  right, "  replied  Bonaparte,  laughing  even 
louder  than  before.  "  Josephine  likes  golden  rains,  and  should  they 
be  ever  so  violent,  she  would  not  complain  ;  for  if  they  should  im- 
merse her  up  to  the  neck,  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  she  would 
have  got  rid  of  the  whole  valuable  flood. " 

"  Your  wife  is  as  liberal  and  generous  as  a  princess,  and  that  is 
the  reason  why  she  spends  so  much  money.  She  scatters  her  chari- 
ties with  liberal  hands." 

"  Yes,  Josephine  has  a  noble  and  magnanimous  heart, "  exclaimed 
Napoleon,  and  his  large  blue  eyes  assumed  a  mild  and  tender  expres- 
sion. "  She  is  a  woman  just  as  I  like  women — so  gentle  and  good, 
so  childlike  and  playful,  so  tender  and  affectionate,  so  passionate 
and  odd !  And  at  the  same  time  so  dignified  and  refined  in  her 
manners.  Ah,  you  ought  to  have  seen  her  at  Milan  receiving  the 
princes  and  noblesse  in  her  drawing-room.  I  assure  you,  my  friend, 
the  wife  of  little  General  Bonaparte  looked  and  bore  herself  precisely 
like  a  queen  holding  a  levee,  and  she  was  treated  and  honored  as 
though  she  were  one.  Ah,  you  ought  to  have  seen  it !" 

"I  did  see  it,  general.     I  was  at  Milan  before  coming  here." 

"  Ah,  yes,  that  is  true.     I  had  forgotten  it.     You  lucky  fellow, 


48  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

you  saw  my  wife  more  recently  than  I  did  myself.  Josephine  is 
beautiful,  is  she  not?  No  young  girl  can  boast  of  more  freshness, 
more  grace,  innocence,  and  loveliness.  Whenever  I  am  with  her, 
I  feel  as  contented,  as  happy  and  tranquil  as  a  man  who,  on  a  very 
warm  day,  is  reposing  in  the  shade  of  a  splendid  myrtle-tree,  and 
whenever  I  am  far  from  her — " 

Bonaparte  paused,  and  a  slight  blush  stole  over  his  face.  The 
young  lover  of  twenty-eight  had  triumphed  for  a  moment  over  the 
stern,  calculating  general,  and  the  general  was  ashamed  of  it. 

"This  is  no  time  to  think  of  such  things, "  he  said,  almost  indig- 
nantly. "  Seal  the  letters  now,  and  dispatch  a  messenger  to  Paris. 
Ah,  Paris  !  Would  to  God  I  were  again  there  in  my  little  house  in 
the  Rue  Chantereine,  alone  and  happy  with  Josephine !  But  in 
order  to  get  there,  I  must  first  make  peace  here — peace  with  Austria, 
with  the  Emperor  of  Germany.  Ah,  I  am  afraid  Germany  will  not 
be  much  elated  by  this  treaty  of  peace  which  her  emperor  is  going 
to  conclude,  and  by  which  she  may  lose  some  of  her  most  splendid 
fortresses  on  the  Rhine. " 

"And  the  Republic  of  Venice,  general?" 

"  The  Republic  of  Venice  is  about  to  disappear, "  exclaimed  Bona- 
parte, frowning.  "Venice  has  rendered  herself  unworthy  of  the 
name  of  a  republic — she  is  about  to  disappear. " 

"  General,  the  delegates  of  the  republic  were  all  day  yesterday  in 
your  anteroom,  vainly  waiting  for  an  audience. " 

"They  will  have  to  wait  to-day  likewise  until  I  return  from  the 
conference  which  is  to  decide  about  war  or  peace.  In  either  case, 
woe  unto  the  Venetians !  Tell  them,  Bourrienne,  to  wait  until  I 
return.  And  now,  my  carriage.  I  cannot  let  the  Austrian  pleni- 
potentiaries wait  any  longer  for  my  ultimatum. " 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    TREATY    OF    CAMPO    FORMIO. 

THE  Austrian  plenipotentiaries  were  at  the  large  Alberga  of 
Udine,  waiting  for  General  Bonaparte.  Every  thing  was  prepared 
for  his  reception  ;  the  table  was  set,  and  the  cooks  were  only  looking 
for  the  arrival  of  the  French  chieftain  in  order  to  serve  up  the  mag- 
nificent dejeuner  with  which  to-day's  conference  was  to  begin. 

Count  Louis  Cobenzl  and  the  Marquis  de  Gallo  were  in  the  dining- 
room,  standing  at  the  window  and  looking  at  the  scenery. 

"  It  is  cold  to-day, "  said  Count  Cobenzl,  after  a  pause  in  the  con- 
versation. "  For  my  part,  I  like  cold  weather,  for  it  reminds  me  of 


THE    TREATY    OF   CAMPO    FORMIO.  49 

the  most  memorable  years  of  my  life — of  my  sojourn  at  the  court  of 
the  Russian  Semiramis.  But  you,  marquis,  are  probably  reminded 
by  this  frosty  weather  even  more  sensibly  of  your  beautiful  Naples 
and  the  glowing  sun  of  the  south.  The  chilly  air  must  make  you 
homesick. " 

"  That  disease  is  unknown  to  me,  count, "  said  the  marquis.  "  I 
am  at  home  wherever  I  can  serve  my  king  and  my  country. " 

"But  to-day,  my  dear  marquis,  you  have  to  serve  a  foreign 
prince. " 

"  Austria  is  the  native  country  of  my  noble  Queen  Caroline, " 
said  the  marquis,  gravely,  "and  the  empress  is  my  king's  daughter. 
The  Austrian  court,  therefore,  may  command  my  whole  power  and 
ability." 

"I  am  afraid  that  we  are  going  to  have  hard  work  to-day,  mar- 
quis, "  remarked  Count  Cobenzl,  gloomily.  "  This  French  general  is 
really  a  sans-culotte  of  the  worst  kind.  He  is  entirely  devoid  of 
noblesse,  bon  ton,  and  refinement. " 

"My  dear  count,  for  my  part  I  take  this  Bonaparte  to  be  a  very 
long-headed  man,  and  I  am  sure  we  must  be  greatly  on  our  guard  to 
be  able  to  wrest  a  few  concessions  from  him. " 

"Do  you  really  believe  that,  marquis?"  asked  the  count,  with  an 
incredulous  smile.  "You  did  not  see,  then,  how  his  marble  face 
lighted  up  when  I  handed  him  the  other  day  that  autograph  letter 
from  his  majesty  the  emperor?  You  did  not  see  how  he  blushed 
with  pleasure  while  reading  it?  Oh,  I  noticed  it,  and,  at  that 
moment,  I  said  to  myself  :  '  This  republican  bear  is  not  insensible  to 
the  favors  and  affability  of  the  great. '  Flattery  is  a  dish  which  he 
likes  to  eat ;  we  will,  therefore,  feed  him  with  it,  and  he  will  be 
ours,  and  do  whatever  we  may  want  without  even  noticing  it.  The 
great  Empress  Catharine  used  to  say :  '  Bears  are  best  tamed  by 
sweetmeats,  and  republicans  by  titles  and  decorations. '  Just  see, 
marquis,  how  I  am  going  to  honor  him  !  I  let  him  drink  his  choco- 
late to-day  from  my  most  precious  relic — from  this  cup  here,  which 
the  great  empress  gave  to  me,  and  which  you  see  contains  the 
czarina's  portrait.  Ah,  it  was  at  the  last  festival  at  the  Ermitage 
that  she  handed  me  the  cup  with  chocolate,  and,  in  order  to  give  it 
its  real  value,  she  touched  the  rim  of  the  cup  with  her  own  sublime 
lips,  sipped  of  the  chocolate,  and  then  permitted  me  to  drink  where 
she  had  drunk.  This  cup,  therefore,  is  one  of  my  most  cherished 
reminiscences  of  St.  Petersburg,  and  little  General  Bonaparte  may  be 
very  proud  to  be  permitted  to  drink  from  Catharine's  cup.  Yes, 
yes,  we  will  give  sweetmeats  to  the  bear,  but  afterward  he  must 
dance  just  as  we  please.  We  will  not  yield,  but  he  must  yield  to  us. 
Our  demands  ought  to  be  as  exorbitant  as  possible !" 


50  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  By  straining  a  cord  too  much,  you  generally  break  it, "  said  the 
Italian,  thoughtfully.  "General  Bonaparte,  I  am  afraid,  will  not 
consent  to  any  thing  derogatory  to  the  honor  and  dignity  of  France. 
Besides,  there  is  another  bad  feature  about  him — he  is  incorruptible, 
and  even  the  titles  and  decorations  of  the  Empress  Catharine  would 
not  have  tamed  this  republican.  Let  us  proceed  cautiously  and 
prudently,  count.  Let  us  demand  much,  but  yield  in  time, 
and  be  content  with  something  less  in  order  not  to  lose  every 
thing." 

"  Austria  can  only  consent  to  a  peace  which  extends  her  bounda- 
ries, and  enlarges  her  territory, "  exclaimed  Cobenzl,  hastily. 

"  You  are  right,  certainly, "  replied  the  Marquis  de  Gallo,  slowly  ; 
"  but  Austria  cannot  intend  to  aggrandize  herself  at  the  expense  of 
France.  What  is  that  so-called  Germany  good  for?  Let  Austria 
take  from  her  whatever  she  wants — a  piece  of  Bavaria,  a  piece  of 
Prussia — I  would  not  care  if  she  even  gave  to  France  a  piece  of  Ger- 
many, for  instance  the  frontier  of  the  Rhine.  In  the  name  of  Heaven, 
I  should  think  that  the  so-called  German  empire  is  decayed  enough 
to  permit  us  to  break  off  a  few  of  its  pieces. " 

"  You  are  very  unmerciful  toward  the  poor  German  empire, "  said 
Count  Cobenzl,  with  a  smile,  "  for  you  are  no  German,  and  owing 
to  that,  it  seems  you  are  much  better  qualified  to  act  as  Austrian 
plenipotentiary  in  this  matter.  Nevertheless  it  is  odd  and  funny 
enough  that  in  these  negotiations  in  which  the  welfare  of  Germany 
is  principally  at  stake,  the  Emperor  of  Germany  should  be  repre- 
sented by  an  Italian,  and  the  French  Republic  by  a  Corsican  !" 

"  You  omit  yourself,  my  dear  count, "  said  the  marquis,  politely. 
"  You  are  the  real  representative  of  the  German  emperor,  and  I  per- 
ceive that  the  emperor  could  not  have  intrusted  the  interests  of 
Germany  to  better  hands.  But  as  you  have  permitted  me  to  act  as1 
your  adviser,  I  would  beg  you  to  remember  that  the  welfare  of 
Austria  should  precede  the  welfare  of  Germany.  And — but  listen  I 
a  carriage  is  approaching. " 

"It  is  General  Bonaparte,"  said  Count  Cobenzl,  hastening  to  the 
window.  "  Just  see  the  splendid  carriage  in  which  he  is  coining. 
Six  horses — four  footmen  on  the  box,  and  a  whole  squadron  of 
lancers  escorting  him !  And  you  believe  this  republican  to  be  in- 
sensible to  flattery  ?  Ah,  ha  !  we  will  give  sweetmeats  to  the  bear  1 
Let  us  go  and  receive  him. " 

He  took  the  arm  of  the  marquis,  and  both  hastened  to  receive  the 
general,  whose  carriage  had  just  stopped  at  the  door. 

The  Austrian  plenipotentiaries  met  Bonaparte  in  the  middle  of 
the  staircase  and  escorted  him  to  the  dining-room,  where  the  dejeuner 
was  waiting  for  him. 


THE   TREATY    OF   CAMPO    FORMIO.  51 

But  Bonaparte  declined  the  dejeuner,  in  spite  of  the  repeated  and 
most  pressing  requests  of  Count  Cobenzl. 

"  At  least  take  a  cup  of  chocolate  to  warm  yourself, "  urged  the 
count.  "  Drink  it  out  of  this  cup,  general,  and  if  it  were  only  in 
order  to  increase  its  value  in  my  eyes.  The  Empress  Catharine  gave 
it  to  me,  and  drank  from  it ;  and  if  you  now  use  this  cup  likewise, 
I  might  boast  of  possessing  a  cup  from  which  the  greatest  man  and 
the  greatest  woman  of  this  century  have  drunk  !' 

"I  shall  not  drink,  count!"  replied  Bonaparte,  bluntly.  "I  will 
have  nothing  in  common  with  this  imperial  Messalina,  who,  by  her 
dissolute  life,  equally  disgraced  the  dignity  of  the  crown  and  of 
womanhood.  You  see  I  am  a  strong -headed  republican,  who  only 
understands  to  talk  of  business.  Let  us,  therefore,  attend  to  that  at 
once. " 

Without  waiting  for  an  invitation,  he  sat  down  on  the  divan 
close  to  the  breakfast-table,  and,  with  a  rapid  gesture,  motioned  the 
two  gentlemen  to  take  seats  at  his  side. 

"  I  informed  you  of  my  ultimatum  the  day  before  yesterday, " 
said  Bonaparte,  coldly  ;  "  have  you  taken  it  into  consideration,  and 
are  you  going  to  accept  it?" 

This  blunt  and  hasty  question,  so  directly  at  the  point,  discon- 
certed the  two  diplomatists. 

"We  will  weigh  and  consider  with  you  what  can  be  done,"  said 
Count  Cobenzl,  timidly.  "France  asks  too  much  and  offers  too 
little.  Austria  is  ready  to  cede  Belgium  to  France,  and  give  up 
Lombardy,  but  in  return  she  demands  the  whole  territory  of  Venice, 
Mantua  included." 

"  Mantua  must  remain  with  the  new  Cisalpine  Republic !"  ex- 
claimed Bonaparte,  vehemently.  "  That  is  one  of  the  stipulations  of 
my  ultimatum,  and  you  seem  to  have  forgotten  it,  count.  And  you 
say  nothing  about  the  frontier  of  the  Rhine,  and  of  the  fortress  of 
Mentz,  both  of  which  I  have  claimed  for  France. " 

"But,  general,  the  Rhine  does  not  belong  to  Austria,  and  Mentz 
is  garrisoned  by  German  troops.  We  cannot  give  away  what  does 
not  belong  to  us. " 

" Do  not  I  give  Venice  to  you?"  exclaimed  Bonaparte — "Venice, 
which,  even  at  the  present  hour,  is  a  sovereign  state,  and  whose 
delegates  are  at  my  headquarters,  waiting  for  my  reply  !  The  Em- 
peror of  Germany  has  certainly  the  right  to  give  away  a  German 
fortress  if  he  choose. " 

"  Well,  Austria  is  not  indisposed  to  cede  the  frontier  of  the  Rhine 
to  France,"  remarked  the  Marquis  de  Gallo.  "Austria  is  quite 
willing  and  ready  to  form  a  close  alliance  with  France,  in  order  to 
resist  the  ambitious  schemes  of  Prussia. " 


52  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  If  Austria  should  acquire  new  territory  in  consequence  of  an 
understanding  with  France,  she  must  be  sure  that  no  such  right  of 
aggrandizement  should  be  granted  to  Prussia, "  said  Count  Cobenzl, 
hastily. 

"  France  and  Austria  might  pledge  themselves  in  a  secret  treaty 
not  to  permit  any  further  aggrandizement  of  Prussia,  but  to  give 
back  to  her  simply  her  former  possessions  on  the  Rhine, "  said  De 
Oallo. 

"No  digressions,  if  you  please!"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  impa- 
tiently. "  Let  us  speak  of  my  ultimatum.  In  the  name  of  France,  I 
have  offered  you  peace,  provided  the  territories  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Rhine  with  their  stipulated  boundaries,  including  Mentz,  be 
ceded  to  France,  and  provided,  further,  that  the  Adige  form  the 
boundary-line  between  Austria  and  the  Cisalpine  Republic,  Mantua 
to  belong  to  the  latter.  You  cede  Belgium  to  France,  but,  in  return, 
we  give  you  the  continental  possessions  of  Venice ;  only  Corfu  and 
the  Ionian  Islands  are  to  fall  to  the  share  of  France,  and  the  Adige 
is  to  form  the  frontier  of  Venetian  Austria. " 

"  I  told  you  already,  general, "  said  Count  Cobenzl,  with  his  most 
winning  smile,  "we  cannot  accept  the  last  condition.  We  must 
have  Mantua,  likewise  ;  in  return,  we  give  you  Mentz  ;  and  not  the 
Adige,  but  the  Adda,  must  be  our  frontier. " 

"  Ah  I  I  see — new  difficulties,  new  subterfuges  !"  exclaimed  Bona- 
parte, and  his  eyes  darted  a  flash  of  anger  at  the  diplomatist. 

This  angry  glance,  however,  was  parried  by  the  polite  smile  of 
the  count.  "  I  took  the  liberty  of  informing  you  likewise  of  our 
ultimatum,  general, "  he  said,  gently,  "  and  I  am  sorry  to  be  com- 
pelled to  declare  that  I  shall  have  to  leave  this  place  unless  our  terms 
be  acceded  to.  But  in  that  case,  I  shall  hold  you  responsible  for  the 
blood  of  the  thousands  which  may  be  shed  in  consequence. " 

Bonaparte  jumped  up,  with  flaming  eyes,  and  lips  quivering 
with  rage. 

"  You  dare  to  threaten  me  !"  he  shouted,  angrily.  "  You  resort 
to  subterfuge  after  subterfuge.  Then  you  are  determined  to  have 
war?  Very  well,  you  shall  have  it." 

He  extended  his  arm  hastily  and  seized  the  precious  cup  which 
the  Empress  Catharine  had  given  to  Count  Cobenzl,  and,  with  an 
impetuous  motion,  hurled  it  to  the  ground,  where  it  broke  to  pieces 
with  a  loud  crash. 

"  See  there  !"  he  shouted  in  a  thundering  voice.  "  Your  Austrian 
monarchy  shall  be  shattered  like  this  cup  within  less  than  three 
months.  I  promise  you  that. " 

Without  deigning  to  cast  another  glance  upon  the  two  gentlemen, 
he  hurried  with  rapid  steps  to  the  door,  and  left  the  room. 


THE   TREATY   OF   CAMPO   FORMIO.  53 

Pale  with  anger  and  dismay,  Count  Cobenzl  stared  at  the  debris 
of  the  precious  cup,  which  so  long  had  been  the  pride  and  joy  of  his 
heart. 

•'He  is  leaving,"  muttered  the  Marquis  de  Gallo.  "Shall  we  let 
him  go,  count?" 

"How  is  that  bear  to  be  kept  here?"  asked  the  count,  sighing, 
and  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

At  this  moment  Bonaparte's  powerful  voice  was  heard  in  the 
anteroom,  calling  out : 

"An  orderly — quick  !" 

"He  calls  out  of  the  window, "  whispered  the  marquis.  " Let  us 
hear  what  he  has  got  to  say. " 

The  two  plenipotentiaries  slipped  on  tiptoe  to  the  window,  cau- 
tiously peeping  from  behind  the  curtains.  They  saw  a  French  lancer 
galloping  up  below,  and  stopping  and  salutinj  under  the  window  of 
the  adjoining  room. 

Again  they  heard  Bonaparte's  thundering  voice.  "Ride  over  to 
the  headquarters  of  Archduke  Charles, "  shouted  Bonaparte.  "  Tell 
him  on  my  behalf  that  the  armistice  is  at  an  end,  and  that  hostili- 
ties will  recommence  from  the  present  hour.  That  is  all.  Depart !" 

Then  they  heard  him  close  the  window  with  a  crash,  and  walk 
with  loud  steps  through  the  anteroom. 

The  two  plenipotentiaries  looked  at  each  other  in  dismay. 
"Count,"  whispered  the  marquis,  "listen  !  he  leaves  and  has  threat- 
ened to  shatter  Austria.  He  is  the  man  to  fulfil  his  threat.  My 
God,  must  we  suffer  him  to  depart  in  anger?  Have  you  been  au- 
thorized to  do  that?" 

"  Will  you  try  to  command  the  storm  to  stand  still?"  asked  Count 
Cobenzl. 

"  Yes,  I  will  try,  for  we  must  not  break  off  the  negotiations  in 
this  way  and  recommence  hostilities.  We  must  conciliate  this  ter- 
rible warrior !" 

He  rushed  out  of  the  room,  and  hastened  through  the  anteroom 
and  down-stairs  to  the  front  door. 

Bonaparte  had  already  entered  his  carriage  ;  his  escort  had  formed 
in  line,  the  driver  had  seized  the  reins  and  whip  in  order  to  give 
the  impatient  horses  the  signal  to  start. 

At  this  moment,  the  pale  and  humble  face  of  the  Marquis  de 
Gallo  appeared  at  the  carriage  door.  Bonaparte  did  not  seem  to  see 
him.  Leaning  back  into  the  cushions,  he  gloomily  looked  up  to 
heaven. 

"  General, "  said  the  marquis,  imploringly,  "  I  beseech  you  not  to 
depart !" 

"  Marquis, "  replied  Bonaparte,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  "  it  does 


54  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

net  become  me  to  remain  peaceably  among  my  enemies.  War  has 
been  declared,  for  you  have  not  accepted  my  ultimatum. " 

"  But,  general,  I  take  the  liberty  to  inform  you  that  the  Austrian 
plenipotentiaries  have  resolved  to  accept  your  ultimatum. " 

Bonaparte's  marble  countenance  did  not  betray  the  slightest 
emotion  of  surprise  and  joy ;  his  large  eyes  only  cast  a  piercing 
glance  upon  the  marquis. 

"You  accept  it  without  subterfuge  or  reserve?"  he  asked,  slowly. 

"  Yes,  general,  precisely  as  you  have  stated  it.  We  are  ready  to 
sign  the  treaty  of  peace,  and  accept  the  ultimatum.  Just  be  kind 
enough  to  alight  once  mors,  and  continue  the  conference  with  us. " 

"  No,  sir, "  said  Bonaparte,  "  nulla  vestigia  retrorsam !  Being 
already  in  my  carriage,  I  shall  not  return  to  you.  Besides,  the  del- 
egates of  the  Venetian  Republic  are  waiting  for  me  at  Passeriano, 
and  I  believe  it  is  time  for  me  to  inform  them  too  of  my  ultimatum. 
At  the  end  of  three  hours,  I  ask  you,  marquis,  and  Count  Cobenzl  to 
proceed  to  my  headquarters  at  Passeriano.  There  we  will  take 
the  various  stipulations  of  the  treaty  into  consideration,  and  agree 
upon  the  public  and  secret  articles. " 

"  But  you  forget,  general,  that  your  orderly  is  already  on  the  way 
to  the  Austrian  headquarters  in  order  to  announce  the  reopening  of 
hostilities. " 

"  That  is  true, "  said  Napoleon,  quietly.  "  Here,  two  orderlies. 
Follow  the  first  orderly,  and  command  him  to  return.  You  see, 
marquis,  I  believe  in  the  sincerity  of  your  assurances.  In  three 
hours,  then,  I  shall  expect  you  at  Passeriano  for  the  purpose  of  set- 
tling the  details  of  the  treaty.  We  shall  sign  it,  however,  on  neutral 
ground.  Do  you  see  that  tall  building  on  the  horizon?" 

"  Yes,  general,  it  is  the  decayed  old  castle  of  Campo  Formio. " 

"  Well,  in  that  castle,  the  treaty  shall  be  signed.  In  three  hours, 
then.  Until  then,  farewell." 

He  nodded  carelessly  to  the  marquis,  who,  as  humble  as  a  vassal, 
at  the  feet  of  the  throne,  stood  at  the  carriage  door,  constantly  bow- 
ing deeply,  and  waving  his  plumed  hat. 

"  Forward !"  shouted  Bonaparte,  and  the  carriage,  followed  by  a 
brilliant  suite,  rolled  away.  Bonaparte,  carelessly  leaning  into  the 
corner,  muttered,  with  a  stealthy  smile  :  "It  was  a  coup  de  theatre, 
and  it  had  evidently  great  success.  They  had  to  accept  peace  at  my 
hands  as  a  favor.  Ah,  if  they  had  guessed  how  much  I  needed  it 
myself !  But  these  men  are  obtuse ;  they  cannot  see  any  thing. 
They  have  no  aim ;  they  only  live  from  minute  to  minute,  and 
whenever  they  find  a  precipice  on  their  route,  they  stumble  over  it, 
and  are  lost  beyond  redemption.  My  God,  how  scarce  real  men  are ! 
There  are  eighteen  millions  in  Italy,  and  I  have  scarcely  found  two 


THE    TREATY    OF   CAMPO   FORMIC.  55 

men  among  them.  I  want  to  save  these  two  men,  but  the  rest  may 
fulfil  their  destiny.  The  Republic  of  Venice  shall  disappear  from 
the  earth — this  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  government  shall  be  annihi- 
lated. We  shall  throw  it  as  a  prey  to  hungry  Austria ;  but  when 
the  latter  has  devoured  her,  and  stretched  herself  in  the  lazy  languor 
of  digestion,  then  it  will  be  time  for  us  to  stir  up  Austria.  Until 
then,  peace  with  Austria — peace  !" 

Three  hours  later  the  treaty  between  Austria  and  France  was 
signed  at  the  old  castle  of  Campo  Formio.  France,  by  this  treaty, 
acquired  Belgium,  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine,  and  the  fortress  of 
Mentz.  Austria  acquired  the  Venetian  territory.  But  to  these 
acquisitions,  which  were  published,  secret  articles  were  added.  In 
these  secret  articles,  France  promised,  in  case  Prussia  should  de- 
mand an  enlargement  of  her  dominions,  like  Austria,  not  to  con- 
sent to  it. 

The  Emperor  of  Austria,  on  his  part,  pledged  himself  to  withdraw 
his  troops,  even  before  the  conclusion  of  the  treaty  with  the  German 
empire,  to  be  agreed  upon  at  Rastadt,  from  all  the  fortresses  on  the 
Rhine — in  other  words,  to  surrender  the  German  empire  entirely  to 
its  French  neighbors. 

Austria  had  enlarged  her  territory,  but,  for  this  aggrandizement, 
Germany  was  to  pay  with  her  blood,  and  finally  with  her  life. 
Austria  had  made  peace  with  France  at  Campo  Formio,  and  it  was 
stipulated  in  the  treaty  that  the  German  empire  likewise  should 
conclude  peace  with  France.  For  this  purpose,  a  congress  was  to 
meet  at  Rastadt ;  all  German  princes  were  to  send  their  ambassadors 
to  that  fortress,  in  order  to  settle,  jointly,  with  three  representatives 
of  the  French  Republic,  the  fate  of  the  empire. 


THE  YOTHsTG  QUEE1ST  OF  PEUSSIA. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

QUEEN  LOUISA. 

THE  most  noble  Countess  von  Voss,  mistress  of  ceremonies  at  the 
court  of  Prussia,  was  pacing  the  anteroom  of  Queen  Louisa  in  the 
most  excited  manner.  She  wore  the  regular  court  dress — a  long 
black  robe  and  a  large  cap  of  black  crape.  In  her  white  hands,  half 
covered  with  black  silk  gloves,  she  held  a  gorgeous  fan,  which  she 
now  impatiently  opened  and  closed,  and  then  again  slowly  moved 
up  and  down  like  a  musical  leader's  baton. 

If  anybody  had  been  present  to  observe  her,  the  noble  mistress  of 
ceremonies  would  not  have  permitted  herself  such  open  manifesta- 
tions of  her  impatience.  Fortunately,  however,  she  was  quite  alone, 
and  under  these  circumstances  even  a  mistress  of  ceremonies  at  the 
royal  court  might  feel  at  liberty  to  violate  the  rules  of  that  etiquette 
which  on  all  other  occasions  was  the  nobie  lady 's  most  sacred  gospel. 

Etiquette,  however,  was  just  now  the  motive  of  her  intense  ex- 
citement, and  in  its  interest  she  was  going  to  fight  a  battle  on  that 
very  spot  in  Queen  Louisa's  anteroom. 

"  Now  or  never !"  she  murmured.  "  What  I  was  at  liberty  to 
overlook  as  long  as  Frederick  William  and  Louisa  were  merely  'their 
royal  highnesses,  the  crown  prince  and  crown  princess, '  I  cannot 
permit  any  longer  now  that  they  have  ascended  the  royal  throne. 
Hence  I  am  determined  to  speak  to  the  young  king  on  this  first  day 
of  his  reign*  in  as  emphatic  and  sincere  a  manner  as  is  required  by 
a  faithful  discharge  of  my  responsible  duties. " 

Just  at  that  moment  the  large  folding  doors  were  opened,  and  a 
tall  and  slender  young  man  in  a  dashing  uniform  entered  the  room. 
It  was  young  King  Frederick  William  III. ,  on  his  return  from  the 
interior  palace-yard  where  he  had  received  the  oath  of  allegiance 
at  the  hands  of  the  generals  of  the  monarchy. 

The  noble  and  youthful  countenance  of  this  king  of  twenty-seven 
years  was  grave  and  stern,  but  from  his  large  blue  eyes  the  kindness 
and  gentleness  of  his  excellent  heart  was  beaming,  and  his 
*  November  17,  1797. 


QUEEN   LOUISA.  57 

handsome  and  good-natured  features  breathed  a  wonderful  spirit  of 
serenity  and  sympathy. 

He  crossed  the  room  with  rapid  and  noiseless  steps,  and,  politely 
bowing  to  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  approached  the  opposite  door. 

But  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  evidently  anxious  to  prevent  him 
from  opening  that  door,  placed  herself  in  front  of  it  and  gravely 
said  to  him : 

"  Your  majesty,  it  is  impossible.  I  cannot  permit  etiquette  to 
be  violated  in  this  manner,  and  I  must  beg  your  majesty  to  inform 
me  most  graciously  of  what  you  are  going  to  do  in  these  rooms?" 

"  Well, "  said  the  king,  with  a  pleasant  smile,  "  I  am  going  to  do 
to-day  what  I  am  in  the  habit  of  doing  every  day  at  this  hour — I  am 
going  to  pay  a  visit  to  my  wife. " 

"  To  your  wife ! "  exclaimed  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  in  dis- 
may. "  But,  your  majesty,  a  king  has  no  wife  !  " 

"  Ah  !  in  that  case  a  king  would  be  a  very  wretched  being, "  said 
the  king,  smiling,  "and,  for  my  part,  I  would  sooner  give  up  my 
crown  than  my  beloved  wife." 

"Good  Heaven,  your  majesty,  you  may  certainly  have  a  wife, 
but  let  me  implore  you  not  to  apply  that  vulgar  name  to  her  majesty 
in  the  presence  of  other  people.  It  is  contrary  to  etiquette  and  in- 
jurious to  the  respect  due  to  royalty. " 

"  My  dear  countess, "  said  the  young  king,  gravely,  "  I  believe,  on 
the  contrary,  that  it  will  only  increase  the  respect  which  people  will 
feel  for  us,  if  her  majesty  remains  a  woman  in  the  noblest  and  truest 
meaning  of  the  word,  and  my  wife — I  beg  your  pardon,  I  was  going 
to  say  the  queen — is  such  a  woman.  And  now,  my  dear  countess, 
permit  me  to  go  to  her. " 

"  No, "  exclaimed  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  resolutely.  "  Your 
majesty  must  first  condescend  to  listen  to  me.  For  an  hour  already  I 
have  been  waiting  here  for  your  majesty's  arrival,  and  you  must 
now  graciously  permit  me  to  speak  to  you  as  frankly  and  sincerely 
as  is  required  by  my  duty  and  official  position." 

"Well,  I  will  listen  to  you,  my  dear  countess,"  said  the  king, 
with  an  inaudible  sigh. 

"  Your  majesty, "  said  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  "  I  consider  it 
my  duty  to  beseech  your  majesty  on  this  memorable  day  to  confer 
upon  me  the  power  of  enforcing  the  privileges  of  my  office  with 
more  severity  and  firmness. " 

"And  to  submit  myself  to  your  sceptre.  That  is  what  you  want 
me  to  do,  I  suppose,  dear  countess?"  asked  the  king,  smiling. 

"Sire,  at  all  events  it  is  impossible  to  keep  up  the  dignity  and 
majesty  of  royalty  if  the  king  and  queen  themselves  openly  defy  the 
laws  of  etiquette. " 


58  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  the  king,  sharply,  "not  a  word  against  the 
queen,  if  you  please,  my  dear  mistress  of  ceremonies !  You  may 
accuse  me  just  as  much  as  you  please,  but  pray  let  me  hear  no  more 
complaints  about  my  Louisa !  Well,  then,  tell  me  now  what  new 
derelictions  I  have  been  guilty  of. " 

"  Sire, "  said  the  countess,  who  did  not  fail  to  notice  the  almost 
imperceptible  smile  playing  on  the  king's  lips — "sire,  I  perceive 
that  your  majesty  is  laughing  at  me ;  nevertheless,  I  deem  it  incum- 
bent on  me  to  raise  my  warning  voice.  Etiquette  is  something 
sublime  and  holy — it  is  the  sacred  wall  separating  the  sovereign 
from  his  people.  If  that  ill-starred  queen,  Marie  Antoinette,  had 
not  torn  down  this  wall,  she  would  probably  have  met  with  a  less 
lamentable  end." 

"  Ah  !  countess,  you  really  go  too  far ;  you  even  threaten  me  with 
the  guillotine,"  exclaimed  the  king,  good-naturedly.  "Indeed,  lam 
afraid  I  must  have  committed  a  great  crime  against  etiquette.  Tell 
me,  therefore,  where  you  wish  to  see  a  change,  and  I  pledge  you  my 
word  I  shall  grant  your  request  if  it  be  in  my  power  to  do  so. " 

"  Sire, "  begged  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  in  a  low  and  impres- 
sive voice,  "  let  me  implore  you  to  be  in  your  palace  less  of  a  father 
and  husband,  and  more  of  a  king,  at  least  in  the  presence  of  others. 
It  frequently  occurs  that  your  majesty,  before  other  people,  addresses 
the  queen  quite  unceremoniously  with  'thou, '  nay,  your  majesty 
even  in  speaking  of  her  majesty  to  strangers  or  servants,  often 
briefly  calls  the  queen  '  my  wife. '  Sire,  all  that  might  be  overlooked 
in  the  modest  family  circle  and  house  of  a  crown  prince,  but  it  can- 
not be  excused  in  the  palace  of  a  king. " 

"Then,  "asked  the  king,  smiling,  "this  house  of  mine  has  been 
transformed  into  a  palace  since  yesterday  ?" 

"  Assuredly,  sire,  you  do  not  mean  to  say  that  you  will  remain  in 
this  humble  house  after  your  accession  to  the  throne?"  exclaimed 
the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  in  dismay. 

"  Now  tell  me  sincerely,  my  dear  countess,  cannot  we  remain  in 
this  house?" 

"  I  assure  your  majesty  it  is  altogether  out  of  the  question  How 
would  it  be  possible  to  keep  up  the  court  of  a  king  and  queen  in  so 
small  a  house  with  becoming  dignity?  The  queen's  household  has 
to  be  largely  increased  ;  hereafter  we  must  have  four  ladies  of  honor, 
four  ladies  of  the  bedchamber,  and  other  servants  in  the  same  pro- 
portion. According  to  the  rules  of  etiquette,  Sire,  you  must  like- 
wise enlarge  your  own  household.  A  king  must  have  two  adjutant- 
generals,  four  chamberlains,  four  gentlemen  of  the  bedchamber, 
and—" 

"  Hold  on, ''  exclaimed  the  king,  smiling,  "  my  household  fortiz- 


QUEEN   LOUISA.  59 

nately  does  not  belong  to  the  department  of  the  mistress  of  ceremo- 
nies, and  therefore  we  need  not  allude  to  it.  As  to  your  other 
propositions  and  wishes,  I  shall  take  them  into  consideration,  for 
I  hope  you  are  through  now. " 

"  No,  your  majesty,  I  am  not.  I  have  to  mention  a  good  many 
other  things,  and  I  must  do  so  to-day — my  duty  requires  it, "  said  the 
mistress  of  ceremonies,  in  a  dignified  manner. 

The  king  cast  a  wistful  glance  toward  the  door. 

"  Well,  if  your  duty  requires  it,  you  may  proceed, "  he  said,  with 
a  loud  sigh. 

"  I  must  beseech  your  majesty  to  assist  me  in  the  discharge  of  my 
onerous  duties.  If  the  king  and  queen  themselves  will  submit  to 
the  rigorous  and  just  requirements  of  etiquette,  I  shall  be  able  to 
compel  the  whole  court  likewise  strictly  to  adhere  to  those  salutary 
rules.  Nowadays,  however,  a  spirit  of  innovation  and  disinclination 
to  observe  the  old-established  ceremonies  and  customs,  which  deeply 
afflicts  me,  and  which  I  cannot  but  deem  highly  pernicious,  is  gain- 
ing ground  everywhere.  It  has  even  now  infected  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen  of  the  court.  And  having  often  heard  your  majesty,  in 
conversation  with  her  majesty  the  queen,  contrary  to  etiquette,  use 
the  vulgar  German  language  instead  of  the  French  tongue,  which  is 
the  language  of  the  courts  throughout  Germany,  they  believe  they 
have  a  perfect  right  to  speak  German  whenever  they  please.  Yes, 
it  has  become  a  regular  custom  among  them  to  salute  each  other  at 
breakfast  with  a  German  '  Guten  morgen  !  '  *  That  is  an  innovation 
which  should  not  be  permitted  to  anybody,  without  first  obtaining 
the  consent  of  her  majesty's  mistress  of  ceremonies  and  your  maj- 
esty's master  of  ceremonies." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon, "  said  the  king,  gravely,  "  as  to  this  point,  I 
altogether  differ  from  you.  No  etiquette  should  forbid  German 
gentlemen  or  German  ladies  to  converse  in  their  mother  tongue, 
and  it  is  unnatural  and  mere  affectation  to  issue  such  orders.  In 
order  to  become  fully  conscious  of  their  national  dignity,  they  should 
especially  value  and  love  their  own  language,  and  no  longer  deign 
to  use  in  its  place  the  tongue  of  a  people  who  have  shed  the  blood  of 
their  king  and  queen,  and  whose  deplorable  example  now  causes  all 
thrones  to  tremble.  Would  to  God  that  the  custom  of  using  the 
German  language  would  become  more  and  more  prevalent  at  my 
court,  for  it  behooves  Germans  to  feel  and  think  and  speak  like 
Germans ;  and  that  will  also  be  the  most  reliable  bulwark  against 
the  bloody  waves  of  the  French  Republic,  in  case  it  should  desire  to 
invade  Germany.  Now  you  know  my  views,  my  dear  mistress  of 
ceremonies,  and  if  your  book  of  ceremonies  prescribes  that  all  court 
*  Vide  Ludwig  Haiisser's  "History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii. 


60  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

officers  should  converse  in  French,  I  request  you  to  expunge  that 
article  and  to  insert  in  its  place  the  following :  '  Prussia,  being  a 
German  state,  of  course  everybody  is  at  liberty  to  speak  German. ' 
This  will  ateo  be  the  rule  at  court,  except  in  the  presence  of  persons 
not  familiar  with  the  German  language.  Pray  don't  forget  that, 
my  dear  countess,  and  now,  being  so  implacable  a  guardian  of  that 
door,  and  of  the  laws  of  etiquette,  I  request  you  to  go  to  her  majesty 
the  queen,  and  ask  her  if  I  may  have  the  honor  of  waiting  upon  her 
majesty.  I  should  like  to  present  my  respects  to  her  majesty  ;  and 
I  trust  she  will  graciously  grant  my  request. "  * 

The  mistress  of  ceremonies  bowed  deeply,  her  face  radiant  with 
joy,  and  then  rapidly  entered  the  adjoining  room. 

The  king  looked  after  her  for  a  moment,  with  a  peculiar  smile. 

"  She  has  to  pass  through  six  large  rooms  before  reaching  Louisa's 
boudoir, "  he  murmured  :  "  this  door,  however,  directly  leads  to  her 
through  the  small  hall  and  the  other  anteroom.  That  is  the  shortest 
road  to  her,  and  I  shall  take  it. " 

Without  hesitating  any  longer,  the  king  hastily  opened  the  small 
side  door,  slipped  through  the  silent  hall  and  across  the  small  ante- 
room, and  knocked  at  the  large  and  heavily-curtained  door. 

A  sweet  female  voice  exclaimed,  "  Come  in  !  "  and  the  king  imme- 
diately opened  the  door.  A  lady  in  deep  mourning  came  to  meet 
him,  extending  her  hands  toward  him. 

"  Oh,  my  heart  told  me  that  it  was  you,  my  dearest !  "  she  ex- 
claimed, and  her  glorious  blue  eyes  gazed  upon  him  with  an  inde- 
scribable expression  of  impassioned  tenderness. 

The  king  looked  at  her  with  a  dreamy  smile,  quite  absorbed  in 
her  aspect.  And  indeed  it  was  a  charming  and  beautiful  sight  pre- 
sented by  this  young  queen  of  twenty  years. 

Her  blue  eyes  were  beaming  in  the  full  fire  of  youth,  enthusiasm, 
and  happiness ;  a  sweet  smile  was  always  playing  on  her  finely- 
formed  mouth,  with  the  ripe  cherry  lips.  On  both  sides  of  her 
slightly-blushing  cheeks  her  splendid  auburn  hair  was  flowing  down 
in  waving  ringlets  ;  her  noble  and  pure  forehead  arose  above  a  nose 
of  classical  regularity,  and  her  figure,  so  proud  and  yet  so  charming, 
so  luxuriant  and  yet  so  chaste,  full  of  true  royal  dignity  and  win- 
ning womanly  grace,  was  in  complete  harmony  with  her  lovely  and 
youthful  features. 

"Well?"  asked  the  queen,  smiling.  "Not  a  word  of  welcome 
from  you,  my  beloved  husband?" 

"I  only  say  to  you,  God  bless  you  on  your  new  path,  and  may 

*The  king's  own  words.— Vide  " Characterztige  und  Historische  Fragmenteaus 
dem  Leben  des  Konigs  von  Pruessen,  Friedrich  Wilhelm  III.  Gesammelt  und 
herausgegeben  von  R.  Fr.  Eylert,  Bishop,  u.s.  w.  Th.  ii.,  p.  21. 


QUEEN    LOUISA.  61 

He  preserve  you  to  me  as  long  as  I  live !"  replied  the  king,  deeply 
moved,  and  embracing  his  queen  with  gushing  tenderness. 

She  encircled  his  neck  with  her  soft,  white  arms,  and  leaned  her 
head  with  a  happy  smile  upon  his  shoulder.  Thus  they  reposed  in 
each  other's  arms,  silent  in  their  unutterable  delight,  solemnly 
moved  in  the  profound  consciousness  of  their  eternal  and  imperish' 
able  love. 

Suddenly  they  were  interrupted  in  their  blissful  dream  by  a  low 
cry,  and  when  they  quickly  turned  around  in  a  somewhat  startled 
manner,  they  beheld  the  Countess  von  Voss,  mistress  of  ceremonies, 
standing  in  the  open  door,  and  gloomily  gazing  upon  them. 

The  king  could  not  help  laughing. 

"Do  you  see  now,  my  dear  countess?"  he  said.  "My  wife  and  I 
see  each  other  without  any  previous  interruption  as  often  as  we 
want  to  do  so,  and  that  is  precisely  as  it  ought  to  be  in  a  Christian 
family.  But  you  are  a  charming  mistress  of  ceremonies,  and  here- 
after we  will  call  you  Dame  d' Etiquette.*  Moreover,  I  will  comply 
with  your  wishes  as  much  as  I  can. " 

He  kindly  nodded  to  her,  and  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  well 
aware  of  the  meaning  of  this  nod,  withdrew  with  a  sigh,  closing 
the  door  as  she  went  out. 

The  queen  looked  up  to  her  husband  with  a  smile. 

"Was  it  again  some  quarrel  about  etiquette?"  she  asked. 

"  Yes,  and  a  quarrel  of  the  worst  kind, "  replied  the  king,  quickly. 
"  The  mistress  of  ceremonies  demands  that  I  should  always  be  an- 
nounced to  you  before  entering  your  room,  Louisa. " 

"Oh,  you  are  always  announced  here,"  she  exclaimed,  tenderly; 
"  my  heart  always  indicates  your  approach — and  that  herald  is  alto- 
gether sufficient,  and  it  pleases  me  much  better  than  the  stern  coun- 
tenance of  our  worthy  mistress  of  ceremonies. " 

"  It  is  the  herald  of  my  happiness, "  said  the  king,  fervently, 
laying  his  arm  upon  his  wife's  shoulder,  and  gently  drawing  her  to 
his  heart. 

"Do  you  know  what  I  am  thinking  of  just  now?"  asked  the 
queen,  after  a  short  pause.  "  I  believe  the  mistress  of  ceremonies 
will  get  up  a  large  number  of  new  rules,  and  lecture  me  considerably 
about  the  duties  of  a  queen  in  regard  to  the  laws  of  etiquette. " 

"I  believe  you  are  right,"  said  the  king,  smiling. 

"But  I  don't  believe  she  is  right!"  exclaimed  the  queen,  and, 
closely  nestling  in  her  husband's  arms,  she  added:  "Tell  me,  my 
lord  and  king,  inasmuch  as  this  is  the  first  time  that  you  come  to 
me  as  a  king,  have  I  not  the  right  to  ask  a  few  favors  of  you,  and  to 
pray  you  to  grant  my  requests  ?" 

*Tlie  king's  own  words. — Vide  Eylert,  part  ii.,  p.  93. 


62  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  Yes,  you  have  that  right,  my  charming  queen, "  said  the  king, 
merrily  ;  "  and  I  pledge  you  my  word  that  your  wishes  shall  be  ful- 
filled, whatever  they  may  be. " 

"Well,  then,"  said  the  queen,  joyfully,  "there  are  four  wishes 
that  I  should  like  you  to  grant.  Come,  sit  down  here  by  my  side, 
on  this  small  sofa,  put  your  arm  around  my  waist,  and,  that  I  may 
feel  that  I  am  resting  under  your  protection,  let  me  lean  my  head 
upon  your  shoulder,  like  the  ivy  supporting  itself  on  the  trunk  of 
the  strong  oak.  And  now  listen  to  my  wishes.  In  the  first  place,  I 
want  you  to  allow  me  to  be  a  wife  and  mother  in  my  own  house, 
without  any  restraint  whatever,  and  to  fulfil  my  sacred  duties  as 
such  without  fear  and  without  regard  to  etiquette.  Do  you  grant 
this  wish?" 

"  Most  cordially  and  joyfully,  in  spite  of  all  mistresses  of  ceremo- 
nies !"  replied  the  king. 

The  queen  nodded  gently  and  smiled.  "  Secondly, "  she  continued, 
"  I  beg  you,  my  beloved  husband,  on  your  own  part,  not  to  permit 
etiquette  to  do  violence  to  your  feelings  toward  me,  and  always  to 
call  me,  even  in  the  presence  of  others,  your  '  wife, '  and  not '  her 
majesty  the  queen. '  Will  you  grant  that,  too,  my  dearest  friend?" 

The  king  bent  over  her  and  kissed  her  beautiful  hair. 

"  Louisa, "  he  whispered,  "  you  know  how  to  read  my  heart,  and, 
generous  as  you  always  are,  you  pray  me  to  grant  what  is  only  my 
own  dearest  wish.  Yes,  Louisa,  we  will  always  call  each  other  by 
those  most  honorable  of  our  titles,  'husband  and  wife.'  And  now, 
your  third  wish,  my  dear  wife?" 

"  Ah,  I  have  some  fears  about  this  third  wish  of  mine, "  sighed 
the  queen,  looking  up  to  her  husband  with  a  sweet  smile.  "  I  am 
afraid  you  cannot  grant  it,  and  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  perhaps, 
was  right  when  she  told  me  etiquette  would  prevent  you  from  com- 
plying with  it. " 

"Ah,  the  worthy  mistress  of  ceremonies  has  lectured  you  also  to- 
day already?"  asked  the  king,  laughing. 

The  queen  nodded.  "  She  has  communicated  to  me  several  im- 
portant sections  from  the  'book  of  ceremonies, '"  she  sighed.  "But 
all  that  shall  not  deter  me  from  mentioning  my  third  wish  to  you. 
I  ask  you,  my  Frederick,  to  request  the  king  to  permit  my  husband 
to  live  as  plainly  and  modestly  as  heretofore.  Let  the  king  give  his 
state  festivals  in  the  large  royal  palace  of  his  ancestors — let  him 
receive  in  those  vast  and  gorgeous  halls  the  homage  of  his  subjects, 
and  the  visits  of  foreign  princes,  and  let  the  queen  assist  him  on 
such  occasions.  But  these  duties  of  royalty  once  attended  to,  may 
we  not  be  permitted,  like  all  others,  to  go  home,  and  in  the  midst  of 
our  dear  little  family  circle  repose  after  the  fatiguing  pomp  and 


QUEEN   LOUISA.  63 

splendor  of  the  festivities?  Let  us  not  give  up  our  beloved  home  for 
the  large  royal  palace  !  Do  not  ask  me  to  leave  a  house  in  which  I 
have  passed  the  happiest  and  finest  days  of  my  life.  See,  here  in 
these  dear  old  rooms  of  mine,  every  thing  reminds  me  of  you,  and 
whenever  I  am  walking  through  them,  the  whole  secret  history  of 
our  love  and  happiness  stands  again  before  my  eyes.  Here,  in  this 
room,  we  saw  each  other  for  the  first  time  after  my  arrival  in  Berlin, 
alone  and  without  witnesses.  Here  you  imprinted  the  first  kiss 
upon  your  wife's  lips,  and,  like  a  heavenly  smile,  it  penetrated  deep 
into  my  soul,  and  it  has  remained  in  my  heart  like  a  little  guardian 
angel  of  our  love.  Since  that  day,  even  in  the  fullest  tide  of  happi- 
ness, I  always  feel  so  devout  and  grateful  to  God  ;  and  whenever  you 
kiss  me,  the  little  angel  in  my  heart  is  praying  for  you,  and  when- 
ever I  am  praying,  he  kisses  you. " 

"Oh,  Louisa,  you  are  my  angel — my  guardian  angel !"  exclaimed 
the  king,  enthusiastically. 

The  queen  apparently  did  not  notice  this  interruption — she  was 
entirely  absorbed  in  her  recollections.  "On  this  sofa  here,"  she 
said,  "  we  were  often  seated  in  fervent  embrace  like  to-day  and  when 
every  thing  around  us  was  silent,  our  hearts  spoke  only  the  louder  to 
each  other,  and  often  have  I  heard  here  from  your  lips  the  most 
sublime  and  sacred  revelations  of  your  noble,  pure,  and  manly  soul. 
In  my  adjoining  cabinet,  you  were  once  standing  at  the  window, 
gloomy  and  downcast ;  a  cloud  was  covering  your  brow,  and  I  knew 
you  had  heard  again  sorrowful  tidings  in  your  father's  palace.  But 
no  complaint  ever  dropped  from  your  lips,  for  you  always  were  a 
good  and  dutiful  son,  and  even  to  me  you  never  alluded  to  your 
father's  failings.  I  knew  what  you  were  suffering,  but  I  knew  also 
that  at  that  hour  I  had  the  power  to  dispel  all  the  clouds  from  your 
brow,  and  to  make  your  eyes  radiant  with  joy  and  happiness. 
Softly  approaching  you,  I  laid  my  arm  around  your  neck,  and  my 
head  on  your  breast,  and  thereupon  I  whispered  three  words  which 
only  God  and  my  husband's  ears  were  to  hear.  And  you  heard 
them,  and  you  uttered  a  loud  cry  of  joy,  and  before  I  knew  how  it 
happened,  I  saw  you  on  your  knees  before  me,  kissing  my  feet  and 
the  hem  of  my  garment,  and  applying  a  name  to  me  that  sounded 
like  heavenly  music,  and  made  my  heart  overflow  with  ecstasy 
and  suffused  my  cheeks  with  a  deep  blush.  And  I  don't  know  again 
how  it  happened,  but  I  felt  that  I  was  kneeling  by  your  side,  and 
we  were  lifting  up  our  folded  hands  to  heaven,  thanking  God  for  the 
great  bliss  He  had  vouchsafed  to  us,  and  praying  Him  to  bless  our 
child,  unknown  to  us  as  yet,  but  already  so  dearly  beloved.  Oh, 
and  last,  my  own  Frederick,  do  you  remember  that  other  hour  in 
my  bedroom?  You  were  sitting  at  my  bedside,  with  folded  hands, 


64  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

praying,  and  yet,  during  your  prayer,  gazing  upon  me,  while  I  was 
writhing  with  pain,  and  yet  so  supremely  happy  in  my  agony,  for  I 
knew  that  Nature  at  that  hour  was  about  to  consecrate  me  for  my 
most  exalted  and  sacred  vocation,  and  that  God  would  bless  our  love 
with  a  visible  pledge  of  our  happiness.  The  momentous  hour  was 
at  hand — a  film  covered  my  eyes,  and  I  could  only  see  the  Holy  Vir- 
gin surrounded  by  angels,  on  Guido  Reni's  splendid  painting,  oppo- 
site my  bed.  Suddenly  a  dazzling  flash  seemed  to  penetrate  the 
darkness  surrounding  me,  and  through  the  silence  of  the  room  there 
resounded  a  voice  that  I  had  never  heard  before — the  voice  of  my 
child.  And  at  the  sound  of  that  voice  I  saw  the  angels  descending 
from  the  painting  and  approaching  my  bedside  in  order  to  kiss  me, 
and  the  Mother  of  God  bent  over  me  with  a  heavenly  smile,  exclaim- 
ing :  'Blessed  is  the  wife  who  is  a  mother  !'  My  consciousness  left 
me — I  believe  my  ineffable  happiness  made  me  faint. " 

"  Yes,  you  fainted,  beloved  wife, "  said  the  king,  gently  nodding 
to  her ;  "  but  the  swoon  had  not  dispelled  the  smile  from  your  lips, 
nor  the  expression  of  rapturous  joy  from  your  features.  You  lay 
there  as  if  overwhelmed  with  joy  and  fascinated  by  your  ecstatic 
bliss.  Knowing  that  you  were  inexpressibly  happy,  I  felt  no  fear 
whatever — " 

"  Well,  I  awoke  soon  again, "  added  the  queen,  joyfully.  "  I  had 
no  time  to  spare  for  a  long  swoon,  for  a  question  was  burning  in 
my  heart.  I  turned  my  eyes  toward  you — you  were  standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  holding  the  babe  that,  in  its  new  little  lace 
dress,  had  just  been  laid  into  your  arms.  My  heart  now  commenced 
beating  in  my  breast  like  a  hammer.  I  looked  at  you,  but  my  lips 
were  not  strong  enough  to  utter  the  question.  However,  you  under- 
stood me  weU'enough,  and  drawing  close  to  my  bedside,  and  kneel- 
ing down  and  laying  the  babe  into  my  arms,  you  said,  in  a  voice 
which  I  shall  never  forget,  'Louisa,  give  your  blessing  to  your  son  !' 
Ah,  at  that  moment  it  seemed  as  if  my  ecstasy  would  rend  my 
breast.  I  had  to  utter  a  loud  scream,  or  I  should  have  died  from 
joy.  'A  son  ! '  I  cried,  'I  have  given  birth  to  a  son  ! '  And  I  drew  my 
arms  around  you  and  the  babe,  and  we  wept  tears — oh,  such  tears — " 

She  paused,  overwhelmed  with  emotion,  and  burst  into  tears. 

"Ah!"  she  whispered,  deprecatingly,  "I  am  very  foolish — you 
will  laugh  at  me. " 

But  the  king  did  not  laugh,  for  his  eyes  also  were  moist ;  only 
he  was  ashamed  of  his  tears  and  kept  them  back  in  his  eyes.  A 
pause  ensued,  and  the  queen  laid  her  head  upon  the  shoulder  of  her 
husband,  who  had  drawn  his  arm  around  her  waist.  All  at  once  she 
raised  her  head,  and  fixing  her  large  and  radiant  eyes  upon  the 
deeply -moved  face  of  the  king,  she  asked : 


QUEEN   LOUISA.  65 

"  My  Frederick,  can  we  leave  a  house  in  which  I  bore  you  a  son 
and  crown  prince?  Will  we  give  up  our  most  sacred  recollections 
for  the  sake  of  a  large  and  gorgeous  royal  palace?" 

"  No,  we  will  not, "  said  the  king,  pressing  his  wife  closer  to  his 
heart.  "No,  we  will  remain  in  this  house  of  ours — we  will  not 
leave  it.  Our  happiness  has  grown  and  prospered  here,  and  here  it 
shall  bloom  and  bear  fruit.  Your  wish  shall  be  fulfilled ;  we  will 
continue  living  here  as  man  and  wife,  and  if  the  king  and  queen 
have  to  give  festivals  and  to  receive  numerous  guests,  then  they  will 
go  over  to  the  palace  to  comply  with  their  royal  duties,  but  in  the 
evening  they  will  return  to  their  happy  home. " 

"Oh,  my  friend,  my  beloved  friend,  how  shall  I  thank  you?" 
exclaimed  the  queen,  encircling  his  neck  with  her  arms,  and  im- 
printing a  glowing  kiss  upon  his  lips. 

"  But  now,  dear  wife,  let  me  know  your  fourth  wish, "  said  the 
king,  holding  her  in  his  arms.  "  I  hope  your  last  wish  is  a  real  one, 
and  not  merely  calculated  to  render  me  happy,  but  one  that  also  con- 
cerns yourself  ?" 

"  Oh,  my  fourth  wish  only  concerns  myself, "  said  the  queen, 
with  an  arch  smile.  "  I  can  confide  it  to  you,  to  you  alone,  and  you 
must  promise  to  keep  it  secret,  and  not  to  say  a  word  about  it  to  the 
mistress  of  ceremonies. " 

"  I  promise  it  most  readily,  dear  Louisa. " 

"Well,"  said  the  queen,  placing  her  husband's  hand  upon  her 
heart,  and  gently  stroking  it  with  her  fingers.  "I  believe  during 
the  coming  winter  we  shall  often  have  to  be  king  and  queen.  Fes- 
tivals will  be  given  to  us,  and  we  shall  have  to  give  others  in  return  ; 
the  country  will  do  homage  to  the  new  sovereign,  and  the  nobility 
will  solemnly  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  him.  Hence  there  will 
be  a  great  deal  of  royal  pomp,  but  very  little  enjoyment  for  us  dur- 
ing the  winter.  Well,  I  will  not  complain,  but  endeavor,  to  the 
best  of  my  ability,  to  do  honor  to  my  exalted  position  by  your  side. 
In  return,  however,  my  beloved  lord  and  friend — in  return,  next 
summer,  when  the  roses  are  blooming,  you  must  give  me  a  day — a 
day  that  is  to  belong  exclusively  to  myself  ;  and  on  that  day  we  will 
forget  the  cares  of  royalty,  and  only  remember  that  we  are  a  pair 
of  happy  young  lovers.  Of  course,  we  shall  not  spend  that  day  in 
Berlin,  nor  in  Parez  either ;  but  like  two  merry  birds,  we  will  fly 
far,  far  away  to  my  home  in  Mecklenburg,  to  the  paradise  of  my 
early  years — to  the  castle  of  Hohenzieritz  ;  and  no  one  shall  know 
any  thing  about  it.  Without  being  previously  announced,  we  will 
arrive  there,  and  in  the  solitude  of  the  old  house  and  garden  we  will 
perform  a  charming  little  idyl.  On  that  day  you  only  belong  to  me, 
and  to  nobody  else.  On  that  day  I  am  your  wife  and  sweetheart  and 


66  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

nothing  else,  and  I  shall  provide  amusement  and  food  for  you.  Yes, 
dearest  Frederick,  I  shall  prepare  your  meals  all  alone,  and  set  the 
table  and  carve  for  you.  Oh,  dear,  dear  friend  ;  give  me  such  a  day, 
such  an  idyl  of  happiness !" 

"  I  give  it  to  you  and  to  myself,  most  joyfully  ;  and  let  me  con- 
fess, Louisa,  I  wish  the  winter  were  over  already,  and  the  morning 
of  that  beautiful  day  were  dawning. " 

"  Thanks — thousand  thanks  !"  exclaimed  the  queen,  enthusiasti- 
cally. "Let  the  stiff  and  ceremonious  days  come  now,  and  the 
sneaking,  fawning  courtiers  and  the  incense  of  flattery.  Through 
all  the  mist  I  shall  constantly  inhale  the  sweet  fragrance  of  the  roses 
of  the  future,  and  on  the  stiff  gala-days  I  shall  think  of  the  idyl  of 
that  day  that  will  dawn  next  summer  and  compensate  me  for  all  the 
annoyances  and  fatigues  of  court  life. " 

The  king  placed  his  right  hand  on  her  head,  as  if  to  bless  her, 
and  with  his  left  lifted  up  her  face  that  was  reposing  on  his  breast. 
"  And  you  really  think,  you  charming,  happy  angel,  that  I  do  not 
understand  you?"  he  asked,  in  a  low  voice.  "Do  you  think  I  do 
not  feel  and  know  that  you  want  to  offer  me  this  consolation  and  to 
comfort  me  by  the  hope  of  such  a  blissful  day  for  the  intervening 
time  of  care,  fatigue,  and  restlessness?  Oh,  my  dear  Louisa,  you 
need  no  such  consolation,  for  God  has  intended  you  for  a  queen,  and 
even  the  burdens  and  cares  of  your  position  will  only  surround  you 
like  enchanting  genii.  You  know  at  all  times  how  to  find  the  right 
word  and  the  right  deed,  and  the  Graces  have  showered  upon  you 
the  most  winning  charms  to  fascinate  all  hearts,  in  whatever  you 
may  be  doing.  On  the  other  hand,  I  am  awkward  and  ill  at  ease. 
I  know  it  only  too  well ;  my  unhappy  childhood,  grief  and  cares  of 
all  kinds,  have  rendered  my  heart  reserved  and  bashful.  Perhaps  I 
am  not  always  lacking  right  ideas,  but  I  fail  only  too  often  to  find 
the  right  word  for  what  I  think  and  feel.  Hereafter,  my  dear 
Louisa,  frequent  occasions  will  arise  when  you  will  have  to  speak 
for  both  of  us.  By  means  of  your  irresistible  smile  and  genial  con- 
versation you  will  have  to  win  the  hearts  of  people,  while  I  shall  be 
content  if  I  can  only  win  their  heads. " 

"Shall  I  be  able  to  win  their  hearts?"  asked  the  queen,  musingly. 
"Oh,  assist  me,  my  dearest  friend.  Tell  me  what  I  have  to  do  in 
order  to  be  beloved  by  my  people. " 

"Remain  what  you  are,  Louisa, "  said  the  king,  gravely — "always 
remain  as  charming,  graceful,  and  pure  as  I  beheld  you  on  the  most 
glorious  two  days  of  my  life,  and  as  my  inward  eye  always  will  be- 
hold you.  Oh,  I  also  have  some  charming  recollections,  and 
although  I  cannot  narrate  them  in  words  as  fascinating  and  glowing 
as  yours,  yet  they  are  engraved  no  less  vividly  on  my  mind,  and, 


THE    KING'S    RECOLLECTIONS.  67 

like  beautiful  genii,  accompany  me  everywhere.  Only  before  others 
they  are  bashful  and  reticent  like  myself. " 

"  Let  me  hear  them,  Frederick, "  begged  the  queen,  tenderly  lean- 
ing her  beautiful  head  on  her  husband's  shoulder.  "Let  us  devote 
another  hour  to  the  recollections  of  the  past. " 

"  Yes,  let  another  hour  be  devoted  to  the  memories  of  past  times, " 
exclaimed  the  king,  "  for  can  there  be  any  thing  more  attractive  for 
me  than  to  think  of  you  and  of  that  glorious  hour  when  I  saw  you 
first?  Shall  I  tell  you  all  about  it,  Louisa?" 

"Oh,  do  so,  my  beloved  friend.  Your  words  will  sound  to  me 
like  some  beautiful  piece  of  music  that  one  likes  better  and  under- 
stands better  the  more  it  is  heard.  Speak,  then,  Frederick,  speak. " 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  KING'S  RECOLLECTIONS. 

"WELL,"  said  the  king,  "whenever  I  look  back  into  the  past, 
every  thing  seems  to  me  covered  with  a  gray  mist,  through  which 
only  two  stars  and  two  lights  are  twinkling.  The  stars  are  your 
eyes,  and  the  lights  are  the  two  days  I  alluded  to  before — the  day  on 
which  I  saw  you  for  the  first  time,  and  the  day  on  which  you  arrived 
in  Berlin.  Oh,  Louisa,  never  shall  I  forget  that  first  day  !  I  call  it 
the  first  day,  because  it  was  the  first  day  of  my  real  life.  It  was  at 
Frankfort-on-the-Main,  during  the  campaign  on  the  Rhine.  My 
father,  the  king,  accompanied  by  myself,  returned  the  visit  that  the 
Duke  of  Mecklenburg,  your  excellent  father,  had  paid  on  the  previ- 
ous day.  We  met  in  a  small  and  unpretending  villa,  situated  in  the 
midst  of  a  large  garden.  The  two  sovereigns  conversed  long  and 
seriously,  and  I  was  listening  to  them  in  silence.  This  silence 
was,  perhaps,  disagreeable  to  my  father  the  king. 

"'What  do  you  think,  your  highness?'  he  suddenly  asked  your 
father.  'While  we  are  talking  about  the  military  operations,  will 
we  not  permit  the  young  gentleman  there  to  wait  upon  the  ladies? 
As  soon  as  we  are  through,  I  shall  ask  you  to  grant  me  the  same 
privilege. ' 

"  The  duke  readily  assented,  and  calling  the  footman  waiting  in 
the  anteroom,  he  ordered  him  to  go  with  me  to  the  ladies  and  to 
announce  my  visit  to  them.  Being  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  seat 
of  war,  you  know,  little  attention  was  paid  to  ceremonies.  I  followed 
the  footman,  who  told  me  the  ladies  were  in  the  garden,  whither  he 
conducted  me.  We  walked  through  a  long  avenue  and  a  number  of 
side-paths.  The  footman,  going  before  me,  looked  around  in  every 
MUHLBACH — D  VOL.  7 


68  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

direction  without  being  able  to  discover  the  whereabouts  of  the 
ladies.  Finally,  at  a  bend  in  the  avenue,  we  beheld  a  bower  in  the 
distance,  and  something  white  fluttering  in  it. 

"'Ah,  there  is  Princess  Louisa, '  said  the  footman,  turning  to  me, 
and  he  then  rapidly  walked  toward  her.  I  followed  him  slowly  and 
listlessly,  and  when  he  came  back  and  told  me  Princess  Louisa  was 
ready  to  receive  me,  I  was  perhaps  yet  twenty  yards  from  the  rose- 
bower.  I  saw  there  a  young  lady  rising  from  her  seat,  and  accele- 
rated my  steps.  Suddenly  my  heart  commenced  pulsating  as  it 
never  had  done  before,  and  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  a  door  were  burst- 
ing open  in  my  heart  and  making  it  free,  and  as  if  a  thousand  voices 
in  my  soul  were  singing  and  shouting,  'There  she  is  !  There  is  the 
lady  of  your  heart!'  The  closer  I  approached,  the  slower  grew  my 
steps,  and  I  saw  you  standing  in  the  entrance  of  the  bower  in  a 
white  dress,  loosely  covering  your  noble  and  charming  figure,  a 
gentle  smile  playing  on  your  pure,  sweet  face,  golden  ringlets  flow- 
ing down  both  sides  of  your  rosy  cheeks,  and  your  head  wreathed 
with  the  full  and  fragrant  roses  which  seemed  to  bend  down  upon 
you  from  the  bower  in  order  to  kiss  and  adorn  you,  your  round 
white  arms  only  half  covered  with  clear  lace  sleeves,  and  a  full- 
blown rose  in  your  right  hand  which  you  had  raised  to  your  waist. 
And  seeing  you  thus  before  me,  I  believed  I  had  been  removed  from 
earth,  and  it  seemed  to  me  I  beheld  an  angel  of  innocence  and  beauty, 
through  whose  voice  Heaven  wished  to  greet  me.*  At  last  I  stood 
close  before  you,  and  in  my  fascination  I  entirely  forgot  to  salute 
you.  I  only  looked  at  you.  I  only  heard  those  jubilant  voices  in 
my  heart,  singing,  'There  is  your  wife — the  wife  you  will  love  now 
and  forever!'  It  was  no  maudling  sentimentality,  but  a  clear  and 
well-defined  consciousness  which,  like  an  inspiration,  suddenly 
moistened  my  eyes  with  tears  of  joy.  f  Oh,  Louisa,  why  am  I  no 
painter  to  perpetuate  that  sublime  moment  in  a  beautiful  and  glori- 
ous picture?  But  what  I  cannot  do,  shall  be~tried  by  others.  A 
true  artist  shall  render  and  eternize  that  moment  for  me,  J  so  that 
one  day  when  we  are  gone,  our  son  may  look  up  to  the  painting  and 
say  :  'Such  was  my  mother  when  my  father  first  saw  her.  He  be- 
lieved he  beheld  an  angel,  and  he  was  not  mistaken,  for  she  was  the 
guardian  angel  of  his  whole  life. '" 

"  Oh  !  you  make  me  blush — you  make  me  too  happy,  too  happy  !" 
exclaimed  the  queen,  closing  her  husband's  lips  with  a  burning  kiss. 

*  Goethe  saw  the  young  princess  at  the  same  time,  and  speaks  of  her  "divine 
beauty." 

t  The  king's  own  words,  vide  Bishop  Eylert's  work,  vol.  ii.,  p.  22. 

J  This  painting  was  afterward  executed,  and  may  now  be  seen  at  the  royal  pal- 
ace of  Berlin.  The  whole  account  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  two  lovers  is  based 
upon  the  communication  the  king  made  himself  to  Bishop  Eylert 


THE  KING'S   RECOLLECTIONS.  69 

"Don't  praise  me  too  much,  lest  I  should  become  proud  and  over- 
bearing. " 

The  king  gently  shook  his  head.  "  Only  the  stupid,  the  guilty, 
and  the  base  are  proud  and  overbearing, "  he  said.  "  But,  whoever 
has  seen  you,  Louisa,  on  the  day  of  your  first  arrival  in  Berlin,  will 
never  forget  your  sweet  image  in  its  radiance  of  grace,  modesty,  and 
loveliness.  It  was  on  a  Sunday,  a  splendid  clear  day  in  winter,  the 
day  before  Christmas,  which  was  to  become  the  greatest  holiday  of 
my  life.  A  vast  crowd  had  gathered  in  front  of  the  Arsenal  Unter 
den  Linden.  Every  one  was  anxious  to  see  you.  At  the  entrance  of 
the  Linden,  not  far  from  the  Opera-Place,  a  splendid  triumphal  arch 
had  been  erected,  and  here  a  committee  of  the  citizens  and  a  num- 
ber of  little  girls  were  to  welcome  you  to  Berlin.  In  accordance 
with  the  rules  of  court  etiquette,  I  was  to  await  your  arrival  at  the 
palace.  But  my  eagerness  to  see  you  would  not  suffer  me  to  remain 
there.  Closely  muffled  in  my  military  cloak,  my  cap  drawn  down 
over  my  face,  in  order  not  to  be  recognized  by  anybody,  I  had  gone 
out  among  the  crowd  and,  assisted  by  a  trusty  servant,  obtained  a 
place  behind  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  triumphal  arch.  Suddenly 
tremendous  cheers  burst  forth  from  a  hundred  thousand  throats, 
thousands  of  arms  were  waving  white  handkerchiefs  from  the  win- 
dows and  roofs  of  the  houses,  the  bells  were  rung,  the  cannon  com- 
menced thundering,  for  you  had  just  crossed  the  Brandenburger 
Gate.  Alighting  from  your  carriage,  you  walked  up  the  Linden 
with  your  suite,  the  wildest  enthusiasm  greeting  every  step  you 
made,  and  finally  you  entered  the  triumphal  arch,  not  suspecting 
how  near  I  was  to  you,  and  how  fervently  my  heart  was  yearning 
for  you.  A  number  of  little  girls  in  white,  with  myrtle- branches 
in  their  hands,  met  you  there  ;  and  one  of  them,  bearing  a  myrtle- 
wreath  on  an  embroidered  cushion,  presented  it  to  you  and  recited 
a  simple  and  touching  poem.  Oh,  I  see  even  now,  how  your  eyes 
were  glowing,  how  a  profound  emotion  lighted  up  your  features, 
and  how,  overpowered  by  your  feelings,  you  bent  down  to  the  little 
girl,  clasped  her  in  your  arms  and  kissed  her  eyes  and  lips.  But 
behind  you  there  stood  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  Countess  von 
Voss,  pale  with  indignation,  and  trembling  with  horror  at  this  un- 
paralleled occurrence.  She  hastily  tried  to  draw  you  back,  and  in 
her  amazement  she  cried  almost  aloud,  '  Good  Heaven !  how  could 
your  royal  highness  do  that  just  now?  It  was  contrary  to  good- 
breeding  and  etiquette!'  Those  were  harsh  and  inconsiderate 
words,  but  in  your  happy  mood  you  did  not  feel  hurt,  but  quietly 
and  cheerfully  turned  around  to  her  and  asked  innocently  and  hon- 
estly :  'What!  cannot  I  do  so  any  more?'*  Oh,  Louisa,  at  that 
*Eylert,vol.  ii.,p.  79. 


70  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

moment,  and  in  consequence  of  your  charming  question,  my  eyes 
grew  moist,  and  I  could  hardly  refrain  from  rushing  out  of  the 
crowd  and  pressing  you  to  my  heart,  and  kissing  your  eyes  and  lips 
as  innocently  and  chastely  as  you  had  kissed  those  of  the  little  girl. 

"See,"  said  the  king,  drawing  a  deep  breath,  and  pausing  for  a 
minute,  "those  are  the  two  great  days  of  my  life,  and  as  you  ask 
me  now,  what  you  ought  to  do  in  order  to  win  the  love  of  your  peo- 
ple, I  reply  to  you  once  more  :  Remain  what  you  are,  so  that  these 
beautiful  pictures  of  you,  which  are  engraved  upon  my  heart,  may 
always  resemble  you,  and  you  will  be  sure  to  win  all  hearts.  Oh, 
my  Louisa,  your  task  is  an  easy  one,  you  only  have  to  be  true  to 
yourself,  you  only  have  to  follow  your  faithful  companions  the 
Graces,  and  success  will  never  fail  you.  My  task,  however,  is  diffi- 
cult, and  I  shall  have  to  struggle  not  only  with  the  evil  designs,  the 
malice,  and  stupidity  of  others,  but  with  my  own  inexperience,  my 
want  of  knowledge,  and  a  certain  irresolution,  resulting,  however, 
merely  from  a  correct  appreciation  of  what  I  am  lacking. " 

The  queen  with  a  rapid  gesture  placed  her  hand  upon  the  king's 
shoulder. 

"  You  must  be  more  self-reliant,  for  you  may  safely  trust  your- 
self, "  she  said,  gravely.  "  Who  could  be  satisfied  with  himself,  if 
you  were  to  despair?  What  sovereign  could  have  the  courage  to 
grasp  the  sceptre,  if  your  hands  should  shrink  back  from  it? — your 
hands,  as  free  from  guilt  and  firm  and  strong  as  those  of  a  true  man 
should  be  !  I  know  nothing  about  politics,  and  shall  never  dare  to 
meddle  with  public  affairs  and  to  advise  you  in  regard  to  them  ;  but 
I  know  and  feel  that  you  will  always  be  guided  by  what  you  believe 
to  be  the  best  interests  of  your  people,  and  that  you  never  will  devi- 
ate from  that  course.  The  spirit  of  the  Great  Frederick  is  looking 
upon  you  ;  he  will  guide  and  bless  you  !" 

The  king  seemed  greatly  surprised  by  these  words. 

"Do  you  divine  my  thoughts,  Louisa?"  he  asked.  "  Do  you  know 
my  soul  has  been  with  him  all  the  morning — that  I  thus  conversed 
with  him  and  repeated  to  myself  every  thing  he  said  to  me  one  day 
in  a  great  and  solemn  hour.  Oh,  it  was  indeed  a  sacred  hour,  and 
never  have  I  spoken  of  it  to  anybody,  for  every  word  would  have 
looked  to  me  like  a  desecration.  But  you,  my  noble  wife,  you  can 
only  consecrate  and  sanctify  the  advice  I  received  in  that  momen- 
tous hour  ;  and  as  I  am  telling  you  to-day  about  my  most  glorious 
reminiscences,  you  shall  hear  also  what  Frederick  the  Great  once 
said  to  me." 

The  queen  nodded  approvingly,  raising  her  head  from  his  shoulder 
and  folding  her  hands  on  her  lap  as  if  she  were  going  to  pray. 

The  king  paused  for  a  moment,  and  seemed  to  reflect. 


THE   KING'S   RECOLLECTIONS.  71 

"  In  1785, "  he  then  said,  "  on  a  fine,  warm  summer  day,  I  met 
the  king  in  the  garden  at  Sans-Souci.  I  was  a  youth  of  fifteen 
years  at  that  time,  strolling  carelessly  through  the  shrubbery  and 
humming  a  song,  when  I  suddenly  beheld  the  king,  who  was  seated 
on  the  bench  under  the  large  beech -tree,  at  no  great  distance  from 
the  Japanese  palace.  He  was  alone  ;  two  greyhounds  were  lying  at 
his  feet,  in  his  hands  he  held  his  old  cane,  and  his  head  reposed 
gently  on  the  trunk  of  the  beech -tree.  A  last  beam  of  the  setting 
sun  was  playing  on  his  face,  and  rendered  his  glorious  eyes  even 
more  radiant.  I  stood  before  him  in  leverential  awe,  and  he  gazed 
upon  me  with  a  kindly  smile.  Then  he  commenced  examining  me 
about  my  studies,  and  finally  he  drew  a  volume  of  La  Fontaine's 
'Fables'  from  his  pocket,  opened  the  book  and  asked  me  to  translate 
the  fable  on  the  page  he  showed  me.  I  did  so — but  when  he  after- 
ward was  going  to  praise  me  for  the  skill  with  which  I  had  rendered 
it,  I  told  him  it  was  but  yesterday  that  I  had  translated  the  same 
fable  under  the  supervision  of  my  teacher.  A  gentle  smile  imme- 
diately lighted  up  his  face,  and  tenderly  patting  my  cheeks,  he  said 
to  me,  in  his  sonorous,  soft  voice :  '  That  is  right,  my  dear  Fritz, 
always  be  honest  and  upright.  Never  try  to  seem  what  you  are  not 
— always  be  more  than  what  you  seem  !'  I  never  forgot  that  exhor- 
tation, and  I  have  always  abhorred  falsehood  and  hypocrisy. " 

The  queen  gently  laid  her  hand  upon  his  heart.  "Your  eye  is 
honest, "  she  said,  "  and  so  is  your  heart.  My  Frederick  is  too  proud 
and  brave  to  utter  a  lie.  And  what  did  you  say  to  your  great 
ancestor?" 

"I?  He  spoke  to  me — I  stood  before  him  and  listened.  He  ad- 
monished me  to  be  industrious,  never  to  believe  that  I  had  learned 
enough  ;  never  to  stand  still,  but  always  to  struggle  on.  After  that 
he  arose  and,  conversing  with  me  all  the  time,  slowly  walked  down 
the  avenue  leading  to  the  garden  gate.  All  at  once  he  paused,  and 
leaning  upon  his  cane,  his  piercing  eyes  looked  at  me  so  long  and 
searchingly,  that  his  glance  deeply  entered  into  my  heart.  '  Well, 
Fritz, '  he  said,  '  try  to  become  a  good  man,  a  good  man  par  excel- 
lence. Great  things  are  in  store  for  you.  I  am  at  the  end  of  my 
career,  and  my  task  is  about  accomplished.  I  am  afraid  that  things 
will  go  pell-mell  when  I  am  dead.  A  portentous  fermentation  is 
going  on  everywhere,  and  the  sovereigns,  especially  the  King  of 
France,  instead  of  calming  it  and  extirpating  the  causes  that  have 
produced  it,  unfortunately  are  deluded  enough  to  fan  the  flame. 
The  masses  below  commence  moving  already,  and  when  the  explo- 
sion finally  takes  place,  the  devil  will  be  to  pay.  I  am  afraid  your 
own  position  one  day  will  be  a  most  difficult  one.  Arm  yourself, 
therefore,  for  the  strife  ! — be  firm !— think  of  me !  Watch  over  our 


72  LOUISA    OF    PRUSSIA, 

honor  and  our  glory !  Beware  of  injustice,  but  do  not  permit  any 
one  to  treat  you  unjustly!'  He  paused  again,  and  slowly  walked 
on.  While  deeply  moved  and  conscious  of  the  importance  of  the 
interview,  I  inwardly  repeated  every  word  he  had  said,  in  order  to 
remember  them  as  long  as  I  lived.  We  had  now  reached  the  obelisk, 
near  the  gate  of  Sans-Souci.  The  king  here  gave  me  his  left  hand, 
and  with  his  uplifted  right  hand  he  pointed  at  the  obelisk.  '  Look 
at  it, '  he  said,  loudly  and  solemnly  ;  '  the  obelisk  is  tall  and  slender, 
and  yet  it  stands  firm  amid  the  most  furious  storms.  It  says  to  you  : 
Ma  force  est  ma  droiture.  The  culmination,  the  highest  point  over- 
looks and  crowns  the  whole ;  it  does  not  support  it,  however,  but  is 
supported  by  the  whole  mass  underlying  it,  especially  by  the  invisi- 
ble foundation,  deeply  imbedded  in  the  earth.  This  supporting 
foundation  is  the  people  in  its  unity.  Always  be  on  the  side  of  the 
people,  so  that  they  will  love  and  trust  you,  as  they  alone  can  render 
you  strong  and  happy. '  He  cast  another  searching  glance  upon  me, 
and  gave  me  his  hand.  When  I  bent  over  it  in  order  to  kiss  it,  he 
imprinted  a  kiss  on  my  forehead.  'Don't  forget  this  hour, '  he  said 
kindly,  nodding  to  me.  He  turned  around,  and  accompanied  by 
his  greyhounds,  slowly  walked  up  the  avenue  again.*  I  never  for- 
got that  hour,  and  shall  remember  it  as  long  as  I  live. " 

"  And  the  spirit  of  the  great  Frederick  will  be  with  you  and 
remain  with  you, "  said  the  queen,  deeply  moved. 

"  Would  to  God  it  were  so  1"  sighed  the  king.  "  I  know  that  I 
am  weak  and  inexperienced  ;  I  stand  in  need  of  wise  and  experi- 
enced advisers ;  I — " 

A  rap  at  the  door  interrupted  the  king,  and  on  his  exclaiming. 
"  Come  in  !"  the  door  was  opened  and  the  court  marshal  appeared  on 
the  threshold. 

"I  humbly  beg  your  majesty's  pardon  for  venturing  to  disturb 
you,"  he  said,  bowing  reverentially  ;  "but  I  must  request  your  maj- 
esty to  decide  a  most  important  domestic  matter — a  matter  that 
brooks  no  delay. " 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  said  the  king,  rising  and  walking  over  to  the 
marshal. 

"Your  majesty,  it  is  about  the  bill  of  fare  for  the  royal  table,  and 
I  beseech  your  majesty  to  read  and  approve  the  following  paper  I 
have  drawn  up  in  regard  to  it. " 

With  an  obsequious  bow,  he  presented  a  paper  to  the  king,  who 
read  it  slowly  and  attentively. 

"What!"  he  suddenly  asked,  sharply,  "two  courses  more  than 
formerly  ?" 

*  The  king's  own  account  to  Bishop  Eylert,  in  the  latter's  work,  vol.  i.,  p.  456. 


THE   KING'S   RECOLLECTIONS.  73 

"  Your  majesty, "  replied  the  marshal,  humbly,  "  it  is  for  the  table 
of  a  king .'" 

"  And  you  believe  that  my  stomach  has  grown  larger  since  I  am 
a  king?"  asked  Frederick  William.  "No,  sir,  the  meals  shall  re- 
main the  same  as  heretofore,*  unless,"  he  said,  politely  turning  to 
the  queen,  "unless  you  desire  a  change,  my  dear?" 

The  queen  archly  shook  her  head.  "No,"  she  said,  with  a 
charming  smile;  "neither  has  my  stomach  grown  larger  si  ace 
yesterday. " 

"  There  will  be  no  change,  then, "  said  the  king,  dismissing  the 
marshal. 

"  Just  see, "  he  said  to  the  queen,  when  the  courtier  had  disap- 
peared, "  what  efforts  they  make  in  order  to  bring  about  a  change  in 
our  simple  and  unassuming  ways  of  living ;  they  flatter  us  wherever 
they  can,  and  even  tiy  to  do  so  by  means  of  our  meals. " 

"  As  for  ourselves,  however,  dearest,  we  will  remember  the  words 
of  your  great  uncle, "  said  the  queen,  "  and  when  they  overwhelm  us 
on  all  sides  with  their  vain  and  ridiculous  demands,  we  will  remain 
firm  and  true  to  ourselves. " 

"Yes,  Louisa,"  said  the  king,  gravely,  "and  whatever  our  new 
life  may  have  in  store  for  us,  we  will  remain  the  same  as  before. " 

Another  rap  at  the  door  was  heard,  and  a  royal  footman  entered. 

"Lieutenant-Colonel  von  Kockeritz,  your  majesty,  requests  an 
audience. " 

"Ah,  yes,  it  is  time,"  said  the  king,  looking  at  the  clock  on  the 
mantel-piece.  " I  sent  him  word  to  call  on  me  at  this  hour.  Fare- 
well, Louisa,  I  must  not  let  him  wait. " 

He  bowed  to  his  wife,  whose  hand  he  tenderly  pressed  to  his  lips, 
and  turned  to  the  door. 

The  footman  who  had  meantime  stood  at  the  door  as  straight  as 
an  aiTow,  waiting  for  the  king's  reply,  now  hastened  to  open  both 
folding- doors. 

"  What !"  asked  the  king,  with  a  deprecating  smile,  "  have  I  sud- 
denly grown  so  much  stouter  that  I  can  no  longer  pass  out  through 
one  door  ?"f 

The  queen's  eyes  followed  her  husband's  tall  and  commanding 
figure  with  a  proud  smile,  and  then  raising  her  beautiful,  radiant 
eyes  with  an  indescribable  expression  to  heaven,  she  whispered: 
"Oh,  what  a  man  !  my  husband  !"  \ 

*  Vide  Eylert,  vol.  i.,  p.  18.  -tlbid.,  p.  19. 

J"O,  welch  einMann!  meiii  Mann !"— Eylert,  vol.  ii.,  p.  157. 


74  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

v 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    YOUNO    KING. 

THE  king  rapidly  walked  through  the  rooms  and  across  the  hall, 
separating  his  own  apartments  from  those  of  the  queen.  He  had 
scarcely  entered  his  cabinet,  when  he  opened  the  door  of  the  ante- 
room, and  exclaimed : 

"  Pray,  come  in,  my  dear  Kockeritz. " 

A  corpulent  little  gentleman,  about  fifty  years  of  age,  with  a 
kind,  good-natured  face,  small,  vivacious  eyes,  denoting  an  excel- 
lent heart,  but  little  ability,  and  large,  broad  lips,  which  never 
perhaps  had  uttered  profound  truths,  but  assuredly  many  pleasant 
jests,  immediately  appeared  on  the  threshold. 

While  he  was  bowing  respectfully,  the  king  extended  his  hand 
to  him. 

"  You  have  received  my  letter,  my  friend  ?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  your  majesty.  I  received  it  yesterday,  and  I  have  been 
studying  it  all  night." 

"And  what  are  you  going  to  reply  to  me?"  asked  the  king, 
quickly.  "  Are  you  ready  to  accept  the  position  I  have  tendered  to 
you?  Will  you  become  my  conscientious  and  impartial  adviser — 
my  true  and  devoted  friend  ?" 

"Your  majesty,"  said  the  lieutenant-colonel,  sighing,  "I  am 
afraid  your  majesty  has  too  good  an  opinion  of  my  abilities.  When 
I  read  your  truly  sublime  letter,  my  heart  shuddered,  and  I  said  to 
myself,  '  The  king  is  mistaken  about  you.  To  fill  the  position  he  is 
offering  to  you,  he  needs  a  man  of  the  highest  ability  and  wisdom. 
The  king  has  confounded  your  heart  with  your  head. '  Yes,  your 
majesty,  my  heart  is  in  the  right  place  ;  it  is  brave,  bold,  and  faith- 
ful, but  my  head  lacks  wisdom  and  knowledge.  I  am  not  a  learned 
man,  your  majesty. " 

"  But  you  are  a  man  of  good  common-sense  and  excellent  judg- 
ment, and  that  is  worth  more  to  me  than  profound  learning, "  ex- 
claimed the  king.  "I  have  observed  you  for  years,  and  these  ex- 
tended observations  have  confirmed  my  conviction  more  and  more 
that  I  was  possessing  in  you  a  man  who  would  be  able  one  day  to 
render  me  the  most  important  services  by  his  straightforwardness, 
his  unerring  judgment,  his  firm  character,  and  well-tried  honesty. 
I  have  a  perfect  right  to  trust  you  implicitly.  I  am  a  young  man, 
as  yet  too  ignorant  of  the  world  to  rely  exclusively  upon  myself,  and 
not  to  fear  lest  dishonest  men,  in  spite  of  the  most  earnest  precau- 
tions, should  deceive  me.  Hence  every  well-meant  advice  must  be 
exceedingly  welcome  to  me,  and  such  advice  I  can  expect  at  your 


THE  YOUNG  KING.  75 

hands.  I  pray  you,  sir,  remain  my  friend,  do  not  change  your  bear- 
ing toward  me,  become  my  adviser.*  Kockeritz,  will  you  reject 
my  request?" 

"No,"  exclaimed  Herr  von  Kockeritz  ;  "if  that  is  all  your  maj- 
esty asks  of  me,  I  can  promise  it  and  fulfil  my  promise.  Your 
majesty  shall  always  find  me  to  be  a  faithful,  devoted,  and  honest 
servant. " 

"  I  ask  more  than  that, "  said  the  king,  gently.  "  Not  only  a  faith- 
ful servant,  but  a  devoted  friend — a  friend  who  will  call  my  atten- 
tion to  my  short- comings  and  errors.  Assist  me  with  your  knowl- 
edge of  men  and  human  nature.  For  nobody  is  more  liable  to  make 
mistakes  in  judging  of  men  than  a  prince,  and  it  cannot  be  other- 
wise. To  a  prince  no  one  shows  himself  in  his  true  character. 
Every  one  tries  to  fathom  the  weaknesses  and  inclinations  of  rulers 
— and  then  assumes  such  a  mask  as  seems  best  calculated  to  accom- 
plish his  purposes.  Hence,  I  expect  you  to  look  around  quietly, 
without  betraying  your  intentions,  for  honest  and  sagacious  men, 
and  to  find  out  what  positions  they  are  able  to  fill  in  the  most  cred- 
itable manner. "  f 

"  I  shall  take  pains,  your  majesty,  to  discover  such  men, "  said 
Herr  von  Kockeritz,  gravely.  "  It  seems  to  me,  however,  sire,  that 
fortunately  you  have  got  many  able  and  excellent  men  close  at  hand, 
and  for  that  reason  need  not  look  very  far  for  other  assistants. " 

"To  whom  do  you  allude?"  exclaimed  the  king,  sharply,  and 
with  a  slight  frown. 

Herr  von  Kockeritz  cast  a  rapid  glance  upon  the  king's  counte- 
nance and  seemed  to  have  read  his  thoughts  upon  his  clouded 
brow. 

"  Your  majesty, "  he  said,  gravely  and  slowly,  "  I  do  not  mean  to 
say  any  thing  against  Wollner,  the  minister,  and  his  two  counsel- 
lors, Hermes  and  Hiller,  nor  against  Lieutenant- General  von  Bisch- 
ofswerder. " 

The  frown  had  already  disappeared  from  the  king's  brow.  Step- 
ping up  to  his  desk,  he  seized  a  piece  of  paper  there,  which  he 
handed  to  his  friend. 

"  Just  read  that  paper,  and  tell  me  what  to  do  about  it. " 

"Ah,  Lieutenant-General  von  Bischofswercler  has  sent  in  his 
resignation  !"  exclaimed  Herr  von  Kockeritz,  when  he  had  read  the 
paper.  "  Well,  I  must  confess  that  the  general  has  a  very  fine  nose, 
and  that  he  acted  most  prudently. " 

"You  believe,  then,  I  would  have  dismissed  him  anyhow?" 

"  Yes,  I  believe  so,  your  majesty. " 

*Vide  "  A  letter  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  von  Kockeritz,  by  Frederick  William  III." 
tlbid. 


76  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"And  you  are  right,  Kockeritz.  This  gloomy  and  bigoted  man 
has  done  a  great  deal  of  mischief  in  Prussia,  and  the  genius  of  our 
country  had  veiled  his  head  and  fled  before  the  spirits  which  Bisch- 
ofswerder  had  called  up.  Oh,  my  friend,  we  have  passed  through 
a  gloomy,  disastrous  period,  and  seen  many  evil  spirits  here,  and 
been  tormented  by  them.  But  not  another  word  about  it !  It  does 
not  behoove  me  to  judge  the  past,  for  it  does  not  belong  to  me. 
Only  the  future  is  mine ;  and  God  grant  when  it  has,  in  turn,  be- 
come the  past,  that  it  may  not  judge  me  !  Lieutenant-General  von 
Bischofswerder  was  the  friend  and  confidant  of  my  lamented  father, 
the  king,  and  in  that  capacity  I  must  and  will  honor  him.  I  shall 
accept  his  resignation,  but  grant  him  an  ample  pension." 

" That  resolution  is  highly  honorable  to  your  majesty's  heart," 
exclaimed  Hen-  von  Kockeritz,  feelingly. 

"As  to  Minister  Wollner,"  said  the  king,  frowning,  "in  respect- 
ful remembrance  of  my  lamented  father's  partiality  for  him,  I  shall 
not  at  once  dismiss  him,  but  leave  it  to  himself  to  send  in  his  resig- 
nation. Let  him  see  if  he  will  be  able  to  reconcile  himself  to  the 
new  era,  for  a  new  era,  I  hope,  is  to  dawn  for  Prussia — an  era  of 
toleration,  enlightenment  and  true  piety,  that  does  not  seek  satis- 
faction in  mere  lip-service  and  church-going,  but  in  good  and  pious 
deeds.  Religion  is  not  an  offspring  of  the  church,  but  the  reverse 
is  true  ;  the  church  is  an  offspring  of  religion,  and  the  church  there- 
fore, ought  to  be  subordinate  to  religion,  and  never  try  to  place 
itself  above  it.  Henceforth  there  shall  be  no  more  compulsion  in 
matters  of  faith,  and  all  fanatical  persecutions  shall  cease.  I  honor 
religion  myself ;  I  devoutly  follow  its  blessed  precepts,  and  under 
no  circumstances  would  I  be  the  ruler  of  a  people  devoid  of  religion. 
But  I  know  that  religion  always  must  remain  a  matter  of  the  heart 
and  of  personal  conviction,  and  if  it  is  to  promote  virtue  and  right- 
eousness, it  must  not,  by  a  mere  methodical  constraint,  be  degraded 
to  an  empty  and  thoughtless  ritualism.  Hereafter  Lutheran  princi- 
ples shall  be  strictly  adhered  to  in  religious  affairs,  for  they  are 
entirely  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  and  Founder  of  our  religion. 
No  compulsory  laws  are  necessary  to  maintain  true  religion  in  the 
country  and  to  increase  its  salutary  influence  upon  the  happiness 
and  morality  of  all  classes  of  the  people.*  These,  I  am  afraid,  are 
principles  which  Minister  Wollner  cannot  adopt;  and  if  he  is  an 
honest  man,  he  will  consequently  send  in  his  resignation.  If  he 
should  not  do  so  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks,  of  course  I  shall  dis- 
miss him.  You  see,  Kockeritz,  I  am  speaking  to  you  frankly  and 
unreservedly,  as  if  you  were  a  true  friend  of  mine,  and  I  am  treat- 
ing you  already  as  my  adviser.  Now  tell  me  who  are  the  men  of 
*  Vide  "Menzel's  Twenty  Years  of  Prussian  History,"  p.  534. 


THE  YOUNG  KING.  77 

whom  you  wished  to  speak,  aud  whom  you  believe  to  be  able  and 
reliable. " 

The  face  of  Herr  von  Kockeritz  assumed  an  embarrassed  and 
anxious  air,  but  the  king  was  waiting  for  an  answer,  and  therefore 
he  could  not  withhold  it  any  longer. 

"Well,  your  majesty,"  he  said,  somewhat  hesitatingly,  "I 
alluded  to  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  Herr  von  Haugwitz,  whom 
I  believe  to  be  an  honest  man,  while  I  am  equally  satisfied  that  his 
first  assistant,  Lombard,  is  a  man  of  excellent  business  qualifica- 
tions and  great  ability. " 

The  king  nodded  his  assent.  "I  am  entirely  of  your  opinion," 
he  said  ;  "  Minister  von  Haugwitz  is  not  only  an  honest  man,  but  an 
able-minded  and  skilful  diplomatist,  and  an  experienced  statesman. 
I  stand  in  need  of  his  experience  and  knowledge,  and  as  I  moreover 
believe  him  to  be  a  good  patriot,  he  may  remain  at  the  head  of  his 
department. " 

A  gleam  of  joy  burst  from  the  eyes  of  Herr  von  Kockeritz,  but  he 
quickly  lowered  them,  in  order  not  to  betray  his  feelings. 

"As  to  Lombard,"  said  the  king,  "you  are  likewise  right ;  he  is 
an  excellent  and  most  able  man,  though  a  little  tinctured  with 
Jacobinism.  His  French  blood  infects  him  with  all  sorts  of  demo- 
cratic notions.  I  wish  he  would  get  rid  of  them,  and  I  shall  assist 
him  in  doing  so,  in  case  he  should  prove  to  be  the  man  I  take  him 
for.  His  position  is  too  exalted  and  important  that  I  should  not 
deem  it  desirable  to  see  him  occupy  a  place  in  society  in  accordance 
with  the  old  established  rules.  I  want  him  to  apply  for  letters  of 
nobility.  I  shall  grant  the  application  at  once.  Please,  tell  him  so. " 

Herr  von  Kockeritz  bowed  silently. 

" Is  there  anybody  else  whom  you  wish  to  recommend  to  me?" 
asked  the  king  with  an  inquiring  glance. 

"  Your  majesty, "  said  Kockeritz,  "  I  do  not  know  of  anybody  else. 
But  I  am  sure  your  majesty  "will  always  find  the  right  man  for  the 
right  place.  Even  in  my  case,  I  trust,  your  majesty  has  done  so, 
for  if  it  is  of  importance  for  you  to  have  a  faithful  and  devoted 
servant  close  to  your  person,  who  values  nothing  in  the  world  so 
greatly,  who  loves  nothing  so  fervently,  and  adores  nothing  so  much 
as  his  young  king,  then  I  am  the  right  man,  and  in  this  regard  I  do 
not  acknowledge  any  superior.  And  further,  if  it  be  of  importance 
that  your  majesty  should  at  all  times  hear  the  truth,  then  I  am  the 
right  man  again,  for  I  hate  -falsehood,  and  how  should  I,  therefore, 
ever  be  false  toward  your  majesty,  inasmuch  as  I  love  your  majesty  ?" 

"I  believe  you,  I  believe  you,"  exclaimed  the  king,  taking  the 
lieutenant-colonel  by  the  hand.  "  You  love  me  and  are  an  honest 
man ;  I  shall,  therefore,  always  hear  the  truth  from  you.  But  you 


78  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

shall  inform  yourself  also  of  the  state  of  public  opinion  concerning 
myself  and  my  government,  weigh  the  judgment  passed  on  me  and 
my  counsellors,  and  if  you  believe  it  to  be  correct,  then  discuss  it 
•with  men  whom  you  know  to  be  impartial  and  able  to  speak  under- 
standingly  of  the  matter.  Having  thus  ascertained  public  opinion 
and  familiarized  yourself  with  every  thing,  I  expect  you  to  lay  the 
matter  before  me  and  tell  me  your  opinion  firmly  and  unreservedly. 
I  shall  never  question  your  good  intentions,  but  always  endeavor  to 
profit  by  your  advice.  And  I  shall  now  directly  give  you  a  trial. 
What  do  you  think  of  the  congress  which  met  a  few  weeks  ago  at 
Rastadt,  and-at  which  the  German  empire  is  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of 
peace  with  France?" 

"  Your  majesty,  I  believe  it  will  be  good  for  all  of  us  to  live  at 
peace  with*  France, "  exclaimed  Herr  von  Kockeritz,  earnestly.  "  If 
Prussia  should  quarrel  with  France,  it  would  only  afford  Austria  an 
opportunity  to  carry  out  its  long-standing  designs  upon  Bavaria, 
while  Prussia  would  be  occupied  elsewhere  ;  and  in  order  not  to  be 
hindered  by  Prussia  in  doing  so,  Austria,  who  now  has  just  con- 
cluded so  favorable  a  treaty  of  peace  with  France  at  Campo  Formio, 
would  become  the  ally  of  France  and  thus  strengthen  her  old  hostility 
toward  Prussia.  A  war  between  Austria  and  Prussia  would  be  the 
unavoidable  consequence ;  the  whole  of  Germany  would  dissolve 
itself  into  parties  favorable  or  hostile  to  us,  and  this  state  of  affairs 
would  give  France  an  opportunity  and  a  pretext  to  carry  out  her 
own  predatory  designs  against  Germany ;  and,  while  we  would  be 
fighting  battles  perhaps  in  Silesia  and  Bavaria,  to  seize  the  left 
bank  of  the  Rhine. " 

"I  am  entirely  of  your  opinion, "  exclaimed  the  king.  "I  am 
very  glad  to  find  my  views  in  complete  harmony  with  yours." 

It  is  true  Lieutenant- Colonel  von  Kockeritz  was  well  aware  of 
this,  for  all  he  had  said  just  now  was  nothing  but  a  repetition  o2 
what  the  king,  while  yet  a  crown  prince,  had  often  told  him  in 
their  confidential  conversations.  But  of  this  he  took  good  care  not 
to  remind  the  king,  and  merely  bowed  with  a  grateful  smile. 

"Yes,"  added  the  king,  "like  you,  I  believe  prudence  and  sound 
policy  command  us  to  remain  at  peace  with  France,  and  to  form  a 
closer  alliance  with  this  power.  That  is  the  only  way  for  us  to  pre- 
vent Austria  from  realizing  her  schemes  of  aggrandizement.  Aus- 
tria, not  France,  is  dangerous  co  us  ;  the  latter  is  our  natural  ally, 
and  the  former  our  natural  adversary.  Every  step  forward  made 
by  Austria  in  Germany,  forces  Prussia  a  step  backward.  Let  Aus- 
tria enlarge  her  territory  in  the  south,  toward  Italy,  but  never  shall 
I  permit  her  to  extend  her  northern  and  western  frontiers  farther 
into  Germany.  The  peace  of  Campo  Formio  has  given  Venice  to 


FREDERICK  GENTZ.  79 

the  Austrians  but  they  never  shall  acquire  Bavaria.  It  is  Prussia's 
special  task  to  induce  France  not  to  permit  it,  and,  precisely  for  that 
reason,  we  must  force  a  closer  alliance  with  France.  That,  my  dear 
Koekeritz,  is  my  view  of  the  political  course  that  we  should  pursue 
in  future.  Peace  abroad  and  peace  at  home !  No  violent  commo- 
tions and  convulsions,  no  rash  innovations  and  changes.  New  in- 
stitutions should  gradually  and  by  their  own  inherent  force  grow 
from  the  existing  ones,  for  only  in  that  case  we  may  be  sure  that 
they  really  have  taken  root.  I  shall  not  head  the  world  in  the 
capacity  of  a  creative  and  original  reformer,  but  I  shall  always  take 
pains  to  adopt  such  reforms  as  have  proven  valuable,  and  gradually 
to  transform  and  improve  such  institutions  as  at  present  may  be 
defective  and  objectionable.  And  in  all  these  endeavors,  my  dear 
Kockeritz,  you  shall  be  my  adviser  and  assistant.  Will  you  prom- 
ise me  your  aid?" 

He  looked  earnestly  and  anxiously  at  the  lieutenant-colonel  and 
gave  him  his  hand. 

"I  promise  it  to  your  majesty,"  exclaimed  Herr  von  Kockeritz, 
gravely,  and  grasping  the  king's  hand. 

"  Well, "  said  the  king,  "  with  this  solemn  pledge  you  may  enter 
upon  your  official  position,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  my  choice  has 
been  a  judicious  one.  Remain  what  you  are,  sir,  an  upright,  hon- 
est man  !  As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  you  may  always  be  sure  of  my 
heart- felt  gratitude  ;  on  the  other  hand,  however,  you  should  remem- 
ber that  you  not  only  oblige  me  personally,  but  that  I  request  you, 
as  it  were,  in  the  name  of  the  state,  to  labor  for  the  latter.  At  some 
future  time  you  will  gain  the  sweet  conviction  and  satisfaction  that 
you  have  done  not  a  little  for  the  welfare  of  the  commonwealth  and 
thereby  earned  the  thankfulness  of  every  well-meaning  patriot.  I 
am  sure  there  cannot  be  a  sweeter  reward  for  a  man  of  true  honor 
and  ambition  like  yourself. "  * 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FREDERICK   GENTZ. 

IT  was  yet  early  in  the  morning  ;  the  blinds  of  all  the  windows 
in  the  Taubenstrasse  were  as  yet  firmly  closed,  and  only  in  a  single 
house  an  active,  bustling  life  prevailed.  At  its  door  there  stood  a 
heavy  travelling- coach  which  a  footman  was  busily  engaged  in 
loading  with  a  large  number  of  trunks,  boxes,  and  packages.  In 
the  rooms  of  the  first  story  people  were  very  active ;  industrious 
hands  were  assiduously  occupied  with  packing  up  things  generally  j 
*  Vide  the  king's  letter  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  von  Kockeritz. 


80  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

straw  was  wrapped  around  the  furniture,  and  then  covered  with 
linen  bags.  The  looking-glasses  and  paintings  were  taken  from  the 
walls  and  laid  into  wooden  boxes,  the  curtains  were  removed  from 
the  windows,  and  every  thing  indicated  that  the  inmates  of  the 
house  were  not  only  about  to  set  out  on  a  journey,  but  entirely  to 
give  up  their  former  mode  of  living. 

Such  was  really  the  case,  and  while  the  servants  filled  the  ante- 
rooms and  the  halls  with  the  noise  of  their  preparations,  those  for 
whom  all  this  bustle  and  activity  took  place  were  in  their  parlor,  in 
a  grave  and  gloomy  mood. 

There  were  two  of  them — a  lady,  scarcely  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  and  a  gentleman,  about  twelve  years  older.  She  was  a  delicate 
and  lovely  woman,  with  a  pale,  sad  face,  while  he  was  a  vigorous, 
stout  man  with  full,  round  features,  and  large  vivacious  eyes  which 
at  present  tried  to  look  grave  and  afflicted  without  being  able  to  do 
so  ;  she  wore  a  travelling-dress,  while  his  was  an  elegant  morning 
costume. 

Both  of  them  had  been  silent  for  awhile,  standing  at  the  window, 
or  rather  at  different  windows,  and  witnessing  the  removal  of  the 
trunks  and  packages  to  the  travelling-coach.  Finally,  the  lady, 
with  a  deep  sigh,  turned  from  the  window  and  approached  the  gen- 
tleman who  had  likewise  stepped  back  into  the  room. 

"  I  believe  the  trunks  are  all  in  the  carriage,  and  I  can  set  out 
oiow,  Frederick, "  she  said,  in  a  low  and  tremulous  voice. 

He  nodded,  and  extended  his  hand  toward  her.  "  And  you  are 
not  angry  with  me,  Julia?"  he  asked. 

She  did  not  take  his  hand,  but  only  looked  up  to  him  with  eyes 
full  of  eloquent  grief.  "  I  am  not  angry, "  ske  said.  "  I  pray  to  God 
that  He  may  forgive  you. " 

"  And  will  you  forgive  me,  too,  Julia?  For  I  know  I  have  sinned 
grievously  against  you.  I  have  made  you  shed  many  tears — I  have 
rendered  you  wretched  and  miserable  for  two  years,  and  these  two 
years  will  cast  a  gray  shadow  over  your  whole  future.  When  you 
first  entered  this  room,  you  were  an  innocent  young  girl  with  rosy 
cheeks  and  radiant  eyes,  and  now,  as  you  leave  it  fox-ever,  you  are  a 
poor,  pale  woman  with  a  broken  heart  and  dimmed  eyes. " 

"A  divorced  wife,  that  is  all,"  she  whispered,  almost  inaudibly. 
"I  came  here  with  a  heart  overflowing  with  happiness — I  leave  you 
now  with  a  heart  full  of  wretchedness.  I  came  here  with  the  joy- 
ous resolution  and  fixed  purpose  to  render  you  a  happy  husband,  and 
I  leave  you  now  with  the  painful  consciousness  that  I  have  not  be- 
stowed upon  you  that  happiness  which  I  sought  so  earnestly  to  obtain 
for  myself.  Ah,  it  is  very  sad  and  bitter  to  be  under  the  necessity 
of  accepting  this  as  the  only  result  of  two  long  years  1" 


FREDERICK  GENTZ.  81 

"Yes,  it  is  very  sad,"  he  said,  sighing.  "But  after  all,  it  is  no 
fault  of  ours.  There  was  a  dissonance  in  our  married  life  from  the 
start,  and  for  that  reason  there  never  could  be  any  genuine  harmony 
between  us.  This  dissonance — well,  at  the  present  hour  I  may  con- 
fess it  to  you,  too — this  dissonance  simply  was  the  fact  that  I  never 
loved  you !" 

A  convulsive  twitching  contracted  the  pale  lips  of  the  poor  lady. 
"You  were  a  great  hypocrite,  then,"  she  whispered,  "for  your 
words,  your  solenm  vows  never  made  me  suspect  it. " 

"Yes,  I  was  a  hypocrite,  a  wretch,  a  coward!"  he  exclaimed, 
impetuously.  "  They  overwhelmed  me  with  exhortations,  supplica- 
tions, and  representations.  They  knew  so  well  to  flatter  me  with 
the  idea  that  the  beautiful,  wealthy,  and  much- courted  heiress,  Julia 
Gilly,  had  fallen  in  love  with  me,  the  poor,  unknown  Frederick 
Gentz,  the  humble  military  counsellor.  They  knew  so  well  to  de- 
pict to  me  the  triumph  I  would  obtain  by  marrying  you,  to  the 
great  chagrin  of  all  your  other  suitors.  Flattery  intoxicates  me, 
and  a  success,  a  triumph  over  others,  fills  me  with  the  wildest  de- 
light. My  father  spoke  of  my  debts,  my  creditors  threatened  me 
with  suits  and  imprisonment — : 

"  And  thus, "  she  interrupted  him — "  thus  you  sacrificed  me  to  your 
vanity  and  to  your  debts — you  falsely  vowed  a  love  to  me  which  you 
never  felt,  and  accepted  my  hand.  My  father  paid  your  debts,  you 
solemnly  promised  to  all  of  us  not  to  incur  any  new  ones,  but  you 
utterly  broke  your  pledges.  Instead  of  squandering  hundreds  as 
heretofore,  you  henceforth  lavished  thousands,  until  my  whole  ma- 
ternal property  was  gone — until  my  father,  in  a  towering  passion, 
turned  his  back  upon  us  and  swore  never  to  see  us  again.  The 
creditors,  the  debts,  the  embarrassments,  reappeared,  and  as  I  had 
no  money  left  with  which  to  extricate  you  from  your  difficulties, 
you  thought  you  owed  me  no  further  respect  and  were  not  under  the 
necessity  of  remembering  that  I  was  your  wife.  You  had  a  number 
of  love-affairs,  as  I  knew  very  well,  but  was  silent.  Love-letters 
arrived  for  you,  not  from  one  woman  with  whom  you  had  fallen  in 
love,  but  from  God  knows  how  many.  I  was  aware  of  it  and  was 
silent.  And  when  you  were  finally  shameless  enough  to  let  the 
whole  city  witness  your  passion  for  an  actress — when  all  Berlin 
spoke  contemptuously  of  this  flame  of  yours  and  of  the  follies  you 
committed  in  consequence — then  I  could  be  silent  no  longer,  and  my 
honor  and  dignity  commanded  me  to  apply  for  a  divorce. " 

l'  And  every  one  must  acknowledge  that  you  were  perfectly  right. 
As  a  friend  I  could  not  have  given  you  myself  any  other  advice,  for 
I  shall  not  and  cannot  alter  my  nature.  I  am  unable  to  accustom 
myself  to  a  quiet  and  happy  family  life — domestic  felicity  is  repul- 


82  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

sive  to  me,  and  a  feeling  of  restraint  makes  me  rear  and  plunge  like 
the  noble  charger  feeling  his  bit  and  bridle  for  the  first  time.  I  can 
bear  no  chains,  Julia,  not  even  those  of  an  excellent  and  affectionate 
wife  such  as  you  have  been  to  me. " 

"You  can  bear  no  chains,"  she  said,  bitterly,  "and  yet  you  are 
always  in  chains — in  the  chains  of  your  debts,  your  love-affairs, 
and  your  frivolity.  Oh,  listen  to  me — heed  my  words  for  once. 
They  are  as  solemn  as  though  they  were  uttered  on  a  death-bed,  for 
we  shall  never  see  each  other  again.  Fancy  a  mother  were  speaking 
to  you — a  mother  tenderly  loving  you.  For  I  confess  to  you  that  I 
still  love  you,  Gentz — my  heart  cannot  yet  break  loose  from  you, 
and  even  now  that  I  have  to  abandon  you,  I  feel  that  I  shall  forever 
remain  tenderly  attached  to  you.  Oh,  true  love  is  ever  hopeful, 
and  that  was  the  reason  why  I  remained  in  your  house,  although 
my  father  had  applied  for  a  divorce.  I  was  always  in  hopes  that 
your  heart  would  return  to  me— oh,  I  did  not  suspect  that  you  had 
never  loved  me  ! — and  thus  I  hoped  in  vain,  and  must  go  now,  for 
our  divorce  will  be  proclaimed  to-day,  and  honor  forbids  me  to  re- 
main here  any  longer.  But  now  that  I  am  going,  listen  once  more 
to  the  warning  voice  of  a  friend.  Frederick  Gentz,  turn  back ! 
Pursue  no  longer  the  slippery  path  of  frivolity  and  voluptuousness. 
Break  loose  from  the  meshes  of  pleasures  and  sensuality.  God  has 
given  you  a  noble  mind,  a  powerful  intellect — make  good  use  of  your 
surpassing  abilities.  Become  as  great  and  illustrious  as  Providence 
has  intended  you  if  you  but  be  true  to  yourself.  See,  I  believe  in 
you,  and  although  you  only  seem  to  live  for  pleasure  and  enjoyment, 
I  know  you  are  destined  to  accomplish  great  things,  provided  you 
strive  to  do  so.  Oh,  let  me  beseech  you  to  change  your  course,  and 
to  emerge  from  this  whirlpool  of  dissipation  and  profligacy.  Close 
your  ears  to  the  alluring  songs  of  the  sirens,  and  listen  to  the  sublime 
voices  resounding  in  your  breast  and  calling  you  to  the  path  of  glory 
and  honor.  Follow  them,  Frederick  Gentz — be  a  man,  do  not  drift 
any  longer  aimlessly  in  an  open  boat,  but  step  on  a  proud  and  glori- 
ous ship,  grasp  the  helm  and  steer  it  out  upon  the  ocean.  You  are 
the  man  to  pilot  the  ship,  and  the  ocean  will  obey  you,  and  you  will 
get  into  port  loaded  with  riches,  glory,  and  honor.  Only  make  an 
effort.  Remember  my  words,  and  now,  Frederick  Gentz,  in  order 
to  live  happily,  never  remember  me  !" 

She  turned  round  and  hastily  left  the  room.  He  stood  immovable 
for  several  minutes,  dreamily  gazing  after  her,  while  her  words 
were  still  resounding  in  his  ears  like  an  inspired  prophecy.  But 
when  he  heard  the  carriage  roll  away  on  the  street,  he  started,  passed 
his  hand  across  his  quivering  face  and  whispered  :  "  I  have  deeply 
wronged  her ;  may  God  forgive  me  1" 


FEEDEEICK  GENTZ.  83 

Suddenly,  however,  he  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height,  and  a 
gleam  of  intense  joy  burst  forth  from  his  eyes.  "I  am  free!"  he 
exclaimed,  loudly  and  in  a  tone  of  exultation.  "  Yes,  I  am  free ! 
My  life  and  the  world  belong  to  me  again.  All  women  are  mine 
again,  Cupid  and  all  the  gods  of  love  will  boldly  flit  toward  me,  for 
they  need  not  conceal  themselves  any  longer  from  the  face  of  a  hus- 
band strolling  on  forbidden  grounds,  nor  from  the  spying  eyes  of  a 
jealous  wife.  Life  is  mine  again,  and  I  will  enjoy  it ;  yes  I  enjoy 
it.  I  will  enjoy  it  like  fragrant  wine  pressed  to  our  lips  in  a  golden 
goblet,  sparkling  with  diamonds.  Ah,  how  they  are  hammering 
and  battering  in  the  anteroom  !  Every  stroke  of  theirs  is  a  note  of 
the  glorious  song  of  my  liberty.  The  furniture  of  my  household  is 
gone  ;  the  pictures  and  looking-glasses  are  all  gone — gone.  The  past 
and  every  thing  reminding  [me  thereof  shall  disappear  from  these 
rooms.  I  will  have  new  furniture — furniture  of  gold  and  velvet, 
large  Venetian  mirrors,  and  splendid  paintings.  Oh,  my  rooms 
shall  look  as  glorious  and  magnificent  as  those  of  a  prince,  and  all 
Berlin  shall  speak  of  the  splendor  and  luxury  of  Frederick  Geutz. 
And  to  whom  shall  I  be  indebted  for  it?  Not  to  my  wife's  dower, 
but  to  myself — to  myself  alone,  to  my  talents,  to  my  genius  !  Oh, 
in  regard  to  this  at  least,  poor  Julia  shall  not  have  been  mistaken. 
I  shall  gain  fame,  and  glory,  and  honors  ;  my  name  shall  become  a 
household  word  throughout  all  Europe  ;  it  shall  reecho  in  every  cabi- 
net ;  every  minister  shall  have  recourse  to  me,  and — hark  !  What's 
that?"  he  suddenly  interrupted  himself.  "I  really  believe  they  are 
quarrelling  in  the  anteroom. " 

Indeed,  a  violent  altercation  was  heard  outside.  Suddenly  the 
door  was  pushed  open,  and  a  vigorous,  broad-shouldered  man,  with 
a  flushed  and  angry  face,  appeared  on  the  threshold. 

"Well,"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  bitter  sneer,  turning  to  the  foot- 
man who  stood  behind  him,  "  was  I  not  right  when  I  told  you  that 
Mr.  Counsellor  Gentz  was  at  home?  You  would  not  announce  me, 
because  your  master  had  ordered  you  not  to  admit  any  visitors  of 
my  class.  But  I  want  to  be  admitted.  I  will  not  permit  myself  to 
be  shown  out  of  the  anteroom  like  a  fool,  while  the  counsellor  here 
is  snugly  sitting  on  his  sofa  laughing  at  me. " 

"  You  see,  my  dear  Mr.  Werner,  I  am  neither  sitting  on  my  sofa 
nor  laughing  at  you,"  said  Gentz,  slowly  approaching  his  angry 
visitor.  "  And  now  let  me  ask  you  what  you  want  of  me. " 

"  What  I  want  of  you?"  replied  the  stranger,  with  a  sneer.  "  Sir, 
you  know  very  well  what  I  want  of  you.  I  want  my  money !  I 
want  the  five  hundred  dollars  you  have  been  owing  me  for  the  last 
twelve  months.  I  tnisted  your  word  and  your  name ;  I  furnished 
you  my  best  wines — my  choicest  champagne  and  the  most  exquisite 


84  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

delicacies  for  your  dinner  parties.  You  have  treated  your  friends  •, 
that  was  all  right  enough,  but  it  should  have  been  done  at  your  ex- 
pense, and  not  at  mine.  For  that  reason  I  am  here,  and  you  must 
pay  me.  For  the  hundredth  and  last  time,  I  demand  my  money  !" 

"  And  if  I  now  tell  you  for  the  hundredth,  but  not  the  last  time, 
that  I  have  not  got  any  money  ?" 

"  Then  I  shall  go  to  the  war  department  and  attach  your  salary. " 

"  Ah,  my  dear  friend,  there  you  would  be  altogether  too  late, " 
exclaimed  Gentz,  laughing.  "My  honorable  landlord  has  out- 
stripped you  as  far  as  that  is  concerned  ;  he  has  attached  my  salary 
for  a  whole  year,  and  I  believe  it  is  even  insufficient  to  cover  what 
I  owe  him. " 

"But  in  the  d — 1's  name,  sir,  you  must  find  some  other  means  of 
satisfying  my  claim,  for  I  tell  you  I  shall  not  leave  this  room  with- 
out getting  my  money. " 

"My  dear  Mr.  Werner,  pray  do  not  shout  so  dreadfully,"  said 
Gentz,  anxiously ;  "  my  ears  are  very  sensitive,  and  such  shouting 
terrifies  me  as  much  as  a  thunderstorm.  I  am  quite  willing  to  pay 
you,  only  point  out  to  me  a  way  to  do  it !" 

"  Borrow  money  of  other  people  and  then  pay  me  !" 

"  My  dear  sir,  that  is  a  way  I  have  exhausted  long  ago.  There  is 
no  one  willing  to  advance  me  money  either  on  interest  or  on  my 
word  of  honor. " 

"But  how  in  the  d — 1's  name  are  you  going  to  pay  me  then,  sir?" 

"That  is  exactly  what  I  don't  know  yet,  but  after  a  while  I  shall 
know,  and  that  time  will  come  very  soon.  For  I  tell  you,  sir,  these 
days  of  humiliations  and  debts  will  soon  cease  for  me.  I  shall  occupy 
an  exalted  and  brilliant  postion  ;  the  young  king  will  give  it  to  me, 
and—" 

"Fiddlesticks!"  exclaimed  Werner,  interrupting  him;  "do  not 
feed  me  with  such  empty  hopes  after  I  have  fed  you  with  delicacies 
and  quenched  your  thirst  with  my  champagne. " 

"  My  dear  sir,  I  have  not  partaken  all  alone  of  your  good  cheer ; 
my  friends  have  helped  me,  and  now  you  ask  me  alone  to  pay  the 
whole  bill.  That  is  contrary  to  natural  law  and  to  political  economy. " 

"Mr.  Counsellor,  are  you  mocking  me  with  your  political  econ- 
omy? What  do  ymi  know  about  economy?" 

"Ah,  I  am  quite  familiar  with  it,  and  my  book  on  English 
finances  has  brought  me  fame  and  honor. " 

"  It  would  have  been  better  for  you,  Mr.  Counsellor,  if  you  had 
attended  to  your  own  finances.  All  Berlin  knows  in  what  condition 
they  are." 

"  Nevertheless,  there  were  always  excellent  men  putting  a  noble 
trust  in  me,  and  believing  that  I  would  repay  the  money  I  borrowed 


FREDERICK  GENTZ.  85 

of  them.  You  are  one  of  those  excellent  men,  Mr.  Werner,  and  I 
shall  never  forget  it.  Have  a  little  patience,  and  I  will  pay  you 
principal  and  interest. " 

"I  cannot  wait,  Mr.  Counsellor.  I  am  in  the  greatest  embarrass- 
ment myself ;  I  have  to  redeem  large  notes  in  the  course  of  a  few 
days,  and  unless  I  can  do  so  I  am  lost,  my  whole  family  is  ruined, 
and  my  reputation  gone ;  then  I  must  declare  myself  insolvent,  and 
suffer  people  to  call  me  an  impostor  and  villain,  who  incurs  debts 
without  knowing  wherewith  to  pay  them.  Sir,  I  shall  never  suffer 
this,  and  therefore  I  must  have  my  money,  and  I  will  not  leave  this 
room  until  you  have  paid  my  claim  in  full. " 

"  In  that  case,  my  dear  sir,  I  am  afraid  you  will  have  to  remain 
here  and  suffer  the  same  distressing  fate  as  Lot's  unfortunate  wife — " 

"  Sir,  pray  be  serious,  for  my  business  here  is  of  a  very  serious 
character.  Five  hundred  dollars  is  no  trifle  ;  a  man  may  squander 
them  in  a  few  days,  but  they  may  cause  him  also  to  commit  suicide. 
Pay  me,  sir,  pay  me  ;  I  want  my  money  !" 

"For  God's  sake,  do  not  shout  in  this  manner.  I  told  you  once 
already  that  I  cannot  stand  it.  I  know  very  well  that  five  hundred 
dollars  is  a  serious  matter,  and  that  you  must  have  your  money.  I 
will  make  an  effort,  nay,  I  will  do  my  utmost  to  get  it  for  you  ;  but 
you  must  be  quiet.  I  pledge  you  my  word  that  I  will  exert  myself 
to  the  best  of  my  power  in  order  to  obtain  that  amount  for  you,  but 
in  return  you  must  promise  me  to  go  home  quietly  and  peaceably, 
and  to  wait  there  until  I  bring  you  the  money. " 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?  How  are  you  going  to  get  the 
money  ?  You  told  me  just  now  you  were  unable  to  borrow  any  thing. " 

"  But  somebody  may  give  me  those  miserable  five  hundred  dollars, 
and  it  seems  to  me  that  would  do  just  as  well. " 

"  Oh,  you  are  laughing  at  me. " 

"  By  no  means,  sir.  Just  be  still  and  let  me  write  a  letter.  I 
will  afterward  show  you  the  address,  and  thereby  let  you  know  from 
whom  I  am  expecting  assistance. " 

He  walked  rapidly  to  his  desk,  penned  a  few  lines,  and  placed 
the  paper  in  a  large  envelope,  which  he  sealed  and  directed. 

"  Read  the  address, "  he  said,  showing  the  letter  to  Mr.  WTerner. 

"To  his  excellency  the  minister  of  the  treasury,  Count  von  Schu- 
lenburg-Kehnert,  general  of  artillery, "  read  Werner,  with  a  hesi- 
tating tongue,  and  casting  astonished  and  inquisitive  glances  upon 
Gentz.  "And  this  is  the  distinguished  gentleman  to  whom  you 
apply  for  the  money,  Mr.  Counsellor?" 

"  Yes,  my  friend  ;  and  you  must  confess  that  a  minister  of  finance 
is  the  best  man  to  apply  to  for  money.  I  have  written  to  his  excel- 
lency that  I  stand  in  urgent  need  of  five  hundred  dollars  to-day,  and 


86  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

I  request  him  to  extricate  me  from  my  embarrassment.  I  ask  him 
to  appoint  an  hour  during  the  forenoon  when  I  may  call  upon  him 
and  get  the  money. " 

"  And  you  really  believe  that  he  will  give  you  the  money  ?" 

"  My  dear  sir,  I  am  perfectly  sure  of  it,  and  in  order  to  satisfy 
you  likewise,  I  will  make  a  proposition.  Accompany  my  footman 
to  the  minister's  house,  carry  the  letter  to  him  yourself,  and  hear 
his  reply.  You  may  then  repeat  this  reply  to  my  footman,  go  home 
in  good  spirits,  and  wait  there  until  I  bring  you  the  money. " 

"And  if  you  should  fail  to  come?"  asked  Werner. 

"  Then  that  last  remedy  you  alluded  to,  suicide,  always  remains 
to  you.  Now  go,  my  dear  sir.  John  !  John !" 

The  footman  opened  the  door  with  a  rapidity  indicating  that  his 
ears  probably  had  not  been  very  far  from  the  keyhole. 

"John,"  said  Gentz,  "accompany  this  gentleman  to  the  house  of 
Minister  Schulenburg-Kehnert,  and  wait  at  the  door  for  the  reply 
he  will  repeat  to  you.  And  now,  Mr.  Werner,  good-by ;  you  see  I 
have  done  all  I  can,  and  I  hope  you  will  remember  that  in  future, 
and  not  make  so  much  noise  for  the  sake  of  a  few  miserable  dollars. 
Good  gracious,  if  I  did  not  owe  any  one  more  than  you,  my  creditors 
might  thank  their  stars — " 

"Poor  creditors!"  sighed  Mr.  Werner,  saluting  Gentz,  and  left 
the  room  with  the  footman,  holding  the  letter  like  a  trophy  in  his 
hand 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  MINISTER  OF  FINANCE. 

"  WELL,  I  am  really  anxious  to  know  whether  the  minister  will 
give  me  the  money, "  murmured  Gentz ;  "  his  reply  will  indicate  to 
me,  if  the  letter  to  the  king  I  intrusted  yesterday  to  Menken,  has 
made  a  favorable  impression,  and  if  I  may  hope  at  length  for  pro- 
motion and  other  favors.  My  God,  I  am  pining  away  in  my  present 
miserable  and  subordinate  position  !  I  am  able  to  accomplish  greater 
things.  I  am  worth  more  than  all  these  generals,  ministers,  and 
ambassadors,  who  are  so  proud  and  overbearing,  and  dare  to  look 
down  upon  me  as  though  I  were  their  inferior.  Ah !  I  shall  not 
stoop  so  low  as  to  knuckle  to  them  and  flatter  them.  I  don't  want 
to  be  lifted  up  by  them,  but  I  will  be  their  equal.  I  feel  that  I  am 
the  peer  of  the  foremost  and  highest  of  all  these  so-called  statesmen. 
I  do  not  need  them,  but  they  need  me.  Ah,  my  God !  somebody 
knocks  at  the  door  again,  and  John  is  not  at  home.  Good  Heaven, 
if  it  should  be  another  of  those  noisy,  impertinent  creditors !  I  am 


THE  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  MINISTER  OF  FINANCE.    87 

indebted  to  Julia  for  all  these  vexations.  Because  her  things  are 
being  sent  away,  every  door  in  the  house  is  open,  and  every  one  can 
easily  penetrate  into  my  room.  Yes,  yes,  I  am  coming.  I  am 
already  opening  the  door. " 

He  hastened  to  the  door  and  unlocked  it.  This  time,  however, 
no  creditor  was  waiting  outside,  but  a  royal  footman,  who  respect- 
fully bowed  to  the  military  counsellor. 

"  His  royal  highness  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand, "  he  said,  "  requests 
Mr.  Counsellor  Gentz  to  dine  with  him  to-morrow." 

Gentz  nodded  haughtily.  "  I  shall  come, "  he  said  briefly,  and 
then  looked  inquiringly  at  his  own  footman  who  had  just  entered 
the  other  room. 

"Well,  John,  what  did  the  minister  reply?" 

"  His  excellency  requests  Mr.  Counsellor  Gentz  to  call  on  him  in 
the  course  of  an  hour. " 

"All  right !"  said  Gentz,  and  an  expression  of  heart-felt  satisfac- 
tion overspread  his  features.  He  closed  the  door,  and  stepped  back 
into  his  study,  and,  folding  his  hands  on  his  back,  commenced 
pacing  the  room. 

"  He  is  going  to  receive  me  in  the  course  of  an  hour, "  he  mur- 
mured. "I  may  conclude,  therefore  that  the  king  was  pleased  with 
my  letter,  and  that  I  am  at  last  to  enter  upon  a  new  career.  Ah, 
now  my  head  is  light,  and  my  heart  is  free  ;  now  I  will  go  to  work. " 

He  sat  down  at  his  desk  and  commenced  writing  rapidly.  His 
features  assumed  a  grave  expression,  and  proud  and  sublime  thoughts 
beamed  on  his  expansive  forehead. 

He  was  so  absorbed  in  his  task  that  he  entirely  forgot  the  audi- 
ence the  minister  had  granted  to  him,  and  his  footman  had  to  come 
in  and  remind  him  that  the  hour  for  calling  upon  his  excellency  was 
at  hand. 

"Ah  !  to  be  interrupted  in  my  work  for  such  a  miserable  trifle," 
said  Gentz,  indignantly  laying  down  his  pen  and  rising.  "Well, 
then,  if  it  must  be,  give  me  my  dress-coat,  John,  and  I  will  go  to 
his  excellency." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  Counsellor  Frederick  Gentz  entered 
the  anteroom  of  Count  Schulenburg-Kehnert,  minister  of  finance. 
"Announce  my  arrival  to  his  excellency,"  he  said  to  the  footman 
in  waiting,  with  a  condescending  nod,  and  then  quickly  followed 
him  to  the  door  of  the  minister's  study. 

"Permit  me  to  announce  you  to  his  excellency,"  said  the  foot- 
man, and  slipped  behind  the  portiere.  He  returned  in  a  few  minutes. 

"His  excellency  requests  Mr.  Gentz  to  wait  a  little  while.  His 
excellency  has  to  attend  to  a  few  dispatches  yet,  but  will  very  soon 
be  ready  to  admit  Mr.  Gentz." 


88  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  Very  well,  I  shall  wait, "  said  Gentz,  with  a  slight  frown,  and 
he  approached  the  splendidly  bound  books  which  were  piled  up  in 
gilt  cases  on  the  walls  of  the  room.  The  most  magnificent  and 
precious  works  of  ancient  and  modern  literature,  the  rarest  editions, 
the  most  superb  illustrated  books  were  united  in  this  library,  and 
Gentz  noticed  it  with  ill-concealed  wrath. 

"These  men  can  have  all  these  treasures,  nay,  they  have  got 
them,  and  value  them  so  little  as  to  keep  them  in  their  anterooms, " 
he  murmured,  in  a  surly  tone,  forgetting  altogether  that  the  foot- 
man was  present  and  could  overhear  every  word  he  said.  He  had 
really  heard  his  remark,  and  replied  to  it,  approaching  Gentz  : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Counsellor,  his  excellency  does  not  un- 
dervalue these  treasures,  but  appreciates  them  highly,  and  is  always 
glad  enough  when  the  bookbinder  delivers  new  volumes  in  gorgeous 
bindings.  For  this  very  reason  his  excellency  has  ordered  the 
library  to  be  placed  in  this  anteroom,  so  that  it  also  may  gladden 
the  hearts  of  other  people,  and  those  gentlemen  who  have  to  wait 
here  may  have  something  wherewith  to  while  away  their  time. " 

"  They  are  permitted,  then,  to  take  the  books  down  and  read 
them?"  asked  Gentz. 

The  footman  looked  somewhat  embarrassed.  "I  believe,"  he 
said,  timidly,  "  that  would  not  be  altogether  agreeable  to  his  excel- 
lency, for  you  see,  Mr.  Counsellor,  all  of  these  beautiful  books  are 
gilt-edged,  and  gilt  edges  suffer  greatly  if  the  books  are  read.  You 
cannot  even  open  the  books  without  injuring  them  slightly." 

"  And  the  gilt  edges  on  this  row  of  the  books  before  me  are  as 
good  as  new,  and  perfectly  uninjured, "  said  Gentz,  gravely. 

"  Well,  that  is  easily  explained.  They  have  not  been  disturbed 
since  the  bookbinder  brought  them  here, "  exclaimed  the  footman, 
solemnly.  "  No  one  would  dare  to  handle  them. " 

"  Does  not  his  excellency  read  these  books?" 

"  God  forbid !  His  excellency  likes  books,  but  he  has  not  got 
time  to  read  much.  But  whenever  his  excellency  passes  through 
this  anteroom,  he  pauses  before  his  bookcases,  and  looks  at  them, 
and,  with  his  own  hands,  frequently  wipes  off  the  dust  from  the 
gilt  edges  of  the  books. " 

"Indeed,  that  is  a  most  honorable  occupation  for  a  minister  of 
finance, "  said  Gentz,  emphatically.  "  It  is  always  a  great  consola- 
tion to  know  that  a  minister  of  finance  wipes  off  the  dust  from  the 
gold.  I  should  be  very  happy  if  his  excellency  should  consent  to  do 
that  also  for  me  as  often  as  possible.  But  does  it  not  seem  to  you, 
my  dear  fellow,  that  it  takes  his  excellency  a  good  while  to  finish 
those  dispatches?  It  is  nearly  half  an  hour  since  I  have  been  wait- 
ing here. " 


THE  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  MINISTER  OF  FINANCE.    89 

"  I  am  sure  his  excellency  will  soon  ring  the  bell. " 

"Ring  the  bell?"  asked  Gentz,  uneasily,  "for  whom?" 

"Why,  for  myself,  in  order  to  notify  me  to  admit  you,  Mr. 
Counsellor. " 

"Ah,  for  you?"  asked  Gentz,  drawing  a  deep  breath,  and  turn- 
ing once  more  to  the  books  in  order  to  while  away  the  time  by  read- 
ing at  least  the  titles,  as  he  was  not  permitted  to  take  down  and 
open  one  of  the  magnificent  volumes. 

Time  passed  on  in  this  manner,  and  Gentz  was  walking  up  and 
down  near  the  bookcases,  studying  the  titles,  and  waiting.  The 
footman  had  withdrawn  into  the  most  remote  window,  and  was 
waiting  likewise. 

Suddenly  the  large  clock  commenced  striking  solemnly  and 
slowly,  and  announced  to  Gentz  that  he  had  been  a  whole  hour  in 
his  excellency's  anteroom.  And  his  excellency  had  not  yet  rung 
the  bell. 

At  this  moment  Gentz  turned  toward  the  footman  with  a  gesture 
of  indignation  and  impatience. 

"  I  am  satisfied  that  his  excellency  has  entirely  forgotten  that  I 
am  waiting  here  in  the  anteroom, "he  said,  angrily.  "The  dis- 
patches must  be  quite  lengthy,  for  I  have  been  here  now  for  an  hour 
already.  Hence  I  must  beg  you  to  inform  the  minister  that  I  cannot 
wait  any  longer,  for  I  am  quite  busy  too,  and  have  to  return  to  my 
study.  Please  say  that  to  his  excellency. " 

"  But  can  I  dare  to  disturb  his  excellency  ?"  asked  the  footman, 
anxiously.  "He  has  not  rung  the  bell,  sir." 

"Well,  you  must  be  kind  enough  to  disturb  him  and  tell  him  I 
must  leave  unless  he  can  admit  me  at  once, "  exclaimed  Gentz,  ener- 
getically. "Go,  sir,  go!" 

The  footman  sighed  deeply.  "  Well,  I  will  do  so  at  your  risk, 
Mr.  Counsellor, "  he  said,  in  a  low  voice,  stepping  behind  the  por- 
tidre.  He  soon  returned,  a  malicious  smile  playing  on  his  lips. 

"  His  excellency  regrets  that  you  cannot  wait  any  longer,  Mr. 
Counsellor,"  he  said.  "His  excellency  being  so  busy  that  he  cannot 
be  disturbed,  he  requests  you  to  call  again  to-morrow  at  the  same 
hour. " 

"So  his  excellency  dismisses  me  after  detaining  me  here  in  the 
anteroom  for  more  than  an  hour?"  asked  Gentz,  incredulously. 

"His  excellency  is  overwhelmed  with  unexpected  business,"  said 
the  footman,  with  a  shrug  of  his  shoulders.  "  His  excellency  there- 
fore requests  you,  Mr.  Counsellor,  to  call  again  to-morrow." 

Gentz  cast  upon  the  footman  a  glance  which  would  have  shivered 
him  like  a  thunderbolt  if  he  had  not  been  a  man  of  stone.  But 
being  a  man  of  stone,  the  thunderbolt  harmlessly  glanced  off  from 


90  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

him.  With  a  peculiar  smile,  he  assisted  the  enraged  counsellor  in 
putting  on  his  cloak,  handed  him  his  hat  with  a  polite  bow,  and 
then  hastened  to  the  door  in  order  to  open  it  to  him. 

At  this  moment  the  minister  in  his  study  rang  the  bell  loudly  and 
violently.  The  footman  quickly  opened  the  door  leading  to  the  hall, 
and,  with  a  polite  gesture,  invited  Gentz  to  step  out.  The  latter, 
however,  did  not  stir.  He  had  hastily  placed  his  hat  on  his  head 
and  was  now  putting  on  his  gloves  with  as  grave  an  air  as  if  they 
were  gauntlets  with  which  he  was  going  to  arm  himself  for  the  pur- 
pose of  stepping  out  into  the  arena. 

The  minister's  bell  reeounded  even  louder  and  more  violently 
than  before. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Counsellor,"  the  footman  exclaimed, 
impatiently,  "his  excellency  is  calling  me.  Be  kind  enough  to 
close  the  door  when  you  leave.  I  must  go  to  his  excellency. " 

He  hurriedly  crossed  the  room  and  hastened  into  the  minister's 
study. 

Gentz  now  put  on  his  gloves  and  approached  the  door.  He  bent 
one  more  glance  full  of  anger  upon  the  anteroom,  and  finally  fixed 
hie  eyes  upon  the  glittering  books  in  the  cases  on  the  wall.  An 
expression  of  malicious  joy  suddenly  overspread  his  features.  He 
drew  back  from  the  door,  and  hurriedly  crossing  the  room,  he  ap- 
proached the  books.  Without  any  hesitation  whatever,  he  took 
down  one  of  the  largest  and  most  richly  ornamented  volumes,  con- 
cealed the  book  under  his  cloak,  hastened  back  to  the  door,  and  left 
the  house  of  the  minister  of  finance  with  a  haughty  and  defiant  air. 

Without  nodding  or  greeting  any  one,  he  hastened  through  the 
streets  back  to  I  is  own  house.  At  the  door  of  the  latter  there  stood 
two  huge  furniture- wagons,  half  filled  with  the  sofas,  arm-chairs, 
tables,  and  looking-glasses  which  heretofore  had  adorned  his  rooms, 
and  which  he  was  now  going  to  lose  with  his  wife. 

The  servants  had  not  finished  removing  the  furniture,  and  he 
had  to  pause  in  the  hall  in  order  to  let  them  pass  with  the  large 
silken  sofa  which  had  been  the  chief  ornament  of  his  own  parlor. 
This  greatly  increased  his  anger ;  with  furious  gestures  he  rapidly 
ascended  the  staircase  and  went  to  his  rooms.  Every  door  was  open 
— the  apartments  which  he  crossed  with  ringing  steps,  were  empty 
and  deserted,  and  finally  he  reached  the  door  of  his  study,  where  his 
footman  had  posted  himself  like  a  faithful  sentinel.  Gentz  silently 
beckoned  him  to  open  it,  and  entered.  But  when  the  servant  was 
going  to  follow  him,  he  silently  but  imperiously  kept  him  back, 
and  slammed  the  door  in  his  face. 

Now  at  last  he  was  alone  ;  now  no  one  could  see  and  watch  him 
any  longer ;  now  he  could  utter  the  cry  of  rage  that  was  filling  his 


'3U 


THE  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  MINISTER  OP  FINANCE.   91 

breast  and  almost  depriving  him  of  the  power  of  speech ;  and  after 
uttering  th?c  cry,  he  could  appease  his  wrath  still  in  some  other  way. 

He  threw  his  cloak  and  hat  upon  a  chair,  seized  the  splendidly 
bound  and  richly  gilt  volume  from  the  minister's  library  with  both 
hands  and  hurled  it  upon  the  floor. 

"  Lie  there,  toy  of  a  proud  minister !"  he  exclaimed  furiously. 
"  I  will  treat  you  as  I  would  like  to  treat  him.  I  will  abuse  you  as 
I  would  like  to  abuse  him.  There  !  take  this  !  and  this  !  and  that !" 

And  he  stamped  with  his  heels  upon  the  magnificent  work, 
clinchiug  his  fists  and  swearing  fearfully.* 

A  loud  and  merry  laugh  was  heard  behind  him,  and  upon  turning 
round  he  beheld  in  the  door  one  of  his  friends,  who  was  looking  at 
him  with  a  radiant  face. 

"  Herr  von  Gualtieri,  you  laugh,  and  I  am  furious, "  exclaimed 
Gentz,  stamping  again  upon  the  costly  volume. 

"But  why,  for  God's  sake,  are  you  furious?"  asked  Herr  von 
Gualtieri.  "  Why  do  you  perpetrate  such  vandalism  upon  that  mag- 
nificent volume  under  your  feet?" 

"Why?  Well,  I  will  tell  you.  I  was  to-day  at  the  house  of 
Count  Schulenburg-Kehnert ;  he  had  sent  me  word  to  call  on  him  at 
ten  o'clock,  and  when  I  was  there,  he  made  me  stand  for  an  hour  in 
his  anteroom  like  his  gorgeous,  gilt-edged  books,  which  his  foot- 
man told  me  he  never  opens  because  he  is  afraid  of  injuring  their 
gilt  edges. " 

"  And  did  he  admit  you  after  you  had  been  in  the  anteroom  for 
an  hour?" 

"No.  When  I  had  been  there  for  an  hour,  he  sent  me  word 
through  his  footman  that  he  was  too  busy  to  receive  me,  and  that  I 
bad  better  call  again  to-morrow.  Bah  !  He  wanted  to  treat  me  like 
those  books  of  his,  which  he  never  opens  ;  he  did  not  want  to  open 
me  either — me,  a  man  who  has  got  more  mind,  more  knowledge, 
and  information  than  all  his  books  together.  He  made  me  wait  in 
his  anteroom  for  a  whole  hour,  and  then  dismissed  me  !" 

"  And  you  allowed  yourself  to  be  dismissed  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  did;  but  I  took  one  of  his  splendid  gilt-edged  vol- 
umes along,  in  order  to  stamp  on  it  and  maltreat  it,  as  I  would  like 
to  maltreat  him.  Thus  !  and  thus  !  To  crush  it  under  my  heels.  It 
does  me  good.  It  relieves  me.  At  this  moment  this  is  the  only 
revenge  I  can  take  against  the  miserable  feUow. "  f 

HeiT  von  Gualtieri  laughed  uproariously.  "  Ah !  that  is  an 
entirely  novel  jus  gentium, "  he  exclaimed;  "an  exceedingly  funny 

*  Vide  "Gallerie  von  Bildnissen  aus  Rafael's  Umgang,"  edited  by  Varnhagen  von 
Ense,  vol.  ii.,  p  168 

tGentz's  own  words.— Vide  "Rahel's  Umgang,"  vol  ii.,  p.  168. 

MUHLBACH — E  VOL.    7 


92  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

jus  gentium.     My  friend,  let  me  embrace  you ;  you  are  a  glorious 
fellow !" 

With  open  arms  he  approached  Gentz  and  pressed  him  tenderly, 
laughing  all  the  while,  to  his  heart. 

Gentz  was  unable  to  withstand  this  kindness  and  this  laughter, 
and  suddenly  forgetting  his  anger,  he  boisterously  joined  his  friend's 
mirth. 

"  You  like  my  revenge  ?"  he  asked. 

"  Ah  !  it  is  admirable ;  it  is  the  revenge  of  a  genuine  Corsican !" 
Baid  Gualtieri,  gravely. 

"Of  a  Corsican?"  asked  Gentz,  shrinking  back.  "That  is  an 
ugly  comparison,  sir.  I  do  not  want  to  have  any  thing  in  common 
with  that  Corsican,  General  Bonaparte.  I  tell  you  I  am  afraid  that 
man  will  some  day  prove  a  terrible  scourge  for  us. " 

"And  I  adore  him !"  exclaimed  Gualtieri.  "He  is  the  resusci- 
tated Alexander  of  Macedon,  the  conqueror  of  the  world,  the  master 
of  the  world.  He  alone  has  stemmed  the  tide  of  revolution  in 
France.  To  him  alone  the  French  are  indebted  for  the  restoration 
of  order  and  tranquillity  in  their  country.  The  thirteenth  of  Ven- 
demiaire  is  as  heroic  a  deed,  as  great  a  victory,  as  the  battles  of 
Lodi  and  Arcole. " 

"  That  may  be, "  said  Gentz,  morosely.  "  I  am  no  soldier,  and  do 
not  like  battles  and  warfare.  And  what  do  we  Germans  care  for  the 
Corsican?  Have  we  not  got  enough  to  do  at  home?  Germany,  how- 
ever, is  so  happy  and  contented  that,  like  the  Pharisee,  she  may  look 
upon  republican  France  and  exclaim :  '  I  thank  thee,  my  God,  that 
I  am  not  like  this  man. ' " 

"  You  are  right, "  replied  Gualtieri.  "  We  also  stand  in  need  of  a 
revolution.  In  Germany,  too,  a  guillotine  must  be  erected — heads 
must  fall,  and  death  must  hold  its  bloody  harvest. " 

"Hush,  my  friend,  hush  !"  said  Gentz,  drawing  back  in  dismay. 
"Did  you  merely  come  to  me  for  the  purpose  of  speaking  of  such 
dreadful  matters,  while  you  are  well  aware  that  I  don't  like  to  hear 
anybody  allude  to  bloodshed,  murders,  and  similar  horrors?" 

"I  merely  wanted  to  try  you  a  little  in  order  to  see  whether  you 
are  still  the  same  dear  old  childish  coward, "  exclaimed  Gualtieri, 
laughing.  "The  same  great  child  with  the  strong,  manly  soul,  and 
the  gentle,  weak,  and  easily  moved  child's  heart.  Now,  let  me 
know  quickly  what  you  wanted  of  the  minister  of  finance,  and  I 
shall  reward  you  then  by  telling  you  some  good  news.  Well,  then, 
what  did  you  want  of  Schulenburg?" 

"  I  had  asked  him  to  lend  me  five  hundred  dollars,  and  to  appoint 
an  hour  when  I  might  call  for  the  money.  He  named  ten  o'clock, 
and  I  went  to  his  house,  merely  to  leave  it  an  hour  after  in  a  tower- 


THE  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  MINISTER  OF  FINANCE.    93 

Ing  passion  and  with  empty  hands.  Oh,  it  is  infamous,  it  is  dread- 
ful !  It  is—" 

At  that  moment  the  door  opened,  and  the  footman  entered. 

"From  his  excellency,  General  von  Schulenburg-Kehnert, "  he 
said,  delivering  to  Gentz  a  small  sealed  package  and  a  letter.  "  The 
servant  who  brought  it  has  left,  as  he  said  no  reply  was  required. " 

Gentz  beckoned  his  servant  to  withdraw,  and  he  then  hastily 
opened  the  package. 

"Twelve  fifty-dollar  bills !"  he  exclaimed,  triumphantly.  "One 
hundred  dollars  more  than  I  had  asked  for!  That  is  very  kind, 
indeed. " 

"  May  be  he  does  not  give  it  to  you,  but  merely  lends  it  to  you,* 
said  Gualtieri,  smiling. 

"Lend  it  to  me  1"  exclaimed  Gentz,  scornfully.  "People  don't 
lend  any  money  to  me,  because  they  know  that  I  am  unable  to  pay  it 
back  ;  people  reward  me,  sir  ;  they  show  their  gratitude  toward  me 
in  a  substantial  manner,  but  they  are  not  so  mean  as  to  lend  me 
what  I  ask  for. " 

"Does  the  minister  tell  you  so  in  his  letter?"  asked  Gualtieri, 
dryly. 

"  Ah  !  that  is  true.  I  have  not  yet  read  the  letter, "  said  Gentz, 
breaking  the  seal.  While  he  was  reading  it,  a  slight  blush  suffused 
his  cheeks,  and  an  expression  of  shame  overspread  his  features. 
"Here,  read  it,"  he  murmured,  handing  the  letter  to  his  friend. 

Gualtieri  took  it  and  read  as  follows  : 

"  MY  DEAR  COUNSELLOR,  — You  wished  to  see  me,  and  I  begged 
you  to  call  at  ten  o'clock,  although  I  was  overwhelmed  with  busi- 
ness and  hardly  had  any  time  to  spare.  Precisely  at  ten  o'clock  I 
was  ready  to  receive  you,  for  in  all  matters  of  business  I  am  a  very 
punctual  man.  However,  after  vainly  waiting  for  you  for  half  an 
hour,  I  resumed  my  work.  I  had  to  examine  some  very  complicated 
accounts,  and  could  not  allow  myself  to  be  interrupted  after  once 
taking  them  up.  Hence  I  had  to  ask  you  to  wait,  and  when,  after 
waiting  for  half  an  hour,  like  myself,  you  grew  impatient  and  would 
not  stay  any  longer,  I  sent  you  word  to  call  again  to-morrow. 
Now,  that  I  have  concluded  my  pressing  business,  however,  I  hasten 
to  comply  with  your  request.  You  asked  me  for  five  hundred  dol- 
lars ;  here  they  are.  Knowing,  however,  how  precious  your  time 
is,  and  that  you  had  to  wait  for  half  an  hour  through  my  fault,  I 
take  the  liberty  of  adding  one  hundred  dollars  for  the  time  you  have 
lost  to-day.  Farewell,  sir,  and  let  me  conclude  with  expressing  the 
hope  that  you  will  soon  again  delight  the  world  and  myself  with  one 
of  your  excellent  works. " 


94  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  MEMORIAL  TO  FREDERICK  WILLIAM   in. 

"  I  BELIEVE,  "  said  Gualtieri,  returning  the  letter  to  Gentz,  "  I  be- 
lieve the  minister  wanted  to  teach  you  a  lesson.  He  made  you  wait 
in  order  to  teach  you  the  necessity  of  being  punctual. " 

"And  I  shall  not  forget  the  lesson." 

"You  will  be  punctual  hereafter?" 

"  On  the  contrary.  This  time  I  was  half  an  hour  behind  time, 
and  he  paid  me  one  hundred  dollars  for  it.  Hereafter  I  shall  be  an 
hour  too  late  ;  he  will  make  me  wait  an  hour  and  pay  me  two  hun- 
dred dollars  for  it.  I  believe  that  is  sound  arithmetic.  Don't  look 
at  me  so  scornfully,  Gualtieri ;  this  state  of  affairs  will  not  last  for 
any  length  of  time ;  there  will  be  a  time  at  no  distant  period  when 
no  minister  will  dare  to  make  me  wait  in  his  anteroom,  nor  to  pay 
me  such  petty,  miserable  sums.  The  ministers  then  will  wait  in 
my  anteroom,  and  will  be  only  too  happy  if  I  accept  the  thousands 
which  they  will  offer  to  me.  I  have  formed  the  fixed  resolution  to 
obtain  a  brilliant  position  and  to  coin  wealth  out  of  my  mind. " 

"  And  I  am  sure  you  will  succeed  in  accomplishing  your  purpose, " 
said  Gualtieri.  "  Yes,  I  am  satisfied  a  brilliant  future  is  in  store 
for  you.  You  are  a  genius  such  as  Germany  has  not  seen  heretofore, 
for  you  are  a  political  genius,  and  you  may  just  as  well  confess  that 
Germany  greatly  lacks  politicians  who  are  able  to  wield  their  pen 
like  a  pointed  two-edged  sword,  to  strike  fatal  blows  in  all  direc- 
tions and  obtain  victories.  Germany  has  already  fixed  her  eyes 
upon  you,  and  even  in  England  your  name  is  held  in  great  esteem 
since  you  published  your  excellent  translation  of  Burke 'a  work  on 
the  French  Revolution.  The  political  pamphlets  you  have  issued 
since  that  time,  and  the  excellent  political  magazine  you  have  estab- 
lished, have  met  with  the  warmest  approval,  and  the  public  hopes 
and  expects  that  you  will  render  great  and  important  services  to  the 
country.  Go  on  in  this  manner,  my  friend  ;  boldly  pursue  the  path 
you  have  entered,  and  it  will  become  for  you  a  path  of  glory,  honor, 
and  wealth." 

Gentz  looked  at  him  almost  angrily. 

"I  hope,"  he  said,  "you  will  not  believe  me  to  be  an  avaricious 
and  covetous  man.  I  value  money  merely  because  it  is  an  instru- 
ment wherewith  to  procure  enjoyment,  and  because,  without  it,  we 
are  the  slaves  of  misery,  privations,  and  distress.  Money  renders 
us  free,  and  now  that  people  would  like  to  set  up  freedom  as  the 
religion  of  all  nations,  every  one  ought  to  try  to  make  as  much 


THE  MEMORIAL  TO  FREDERICK  WILLIAM  III.         95 

money  as  possible,  that  alone  rendering  him  really  free.  The  ac- 
cursed French  Revolution,  which  has  dragged  all  principles,  all 
laws  and  old  established  institutions  under  the  guillotine,  was  under 
the  necessity  of  leaving  one  power  unharmed — the  power  of  money. 
The  aristocracy,  the  clergy,  nay,  even  royalty  had  to  bleed  under 
the  guillotine,  but  money  never  lost  its  power,  its  influence,  and  its 
importance.  Money  speaks  a  universal  language,  and  the  sans- 
culotte and  Hottentot  understand  it  as  well  as  the  king,  the  minister, 
and  the  most  beautiful  woman.  Money  never  needs  an  interpreter ; 
it  speaks  for  itself.  See,  my  friend,  that  is  the  reason  why  I  love 
money  and  try  to  make  as  much  as  possible,  not  in  order  to  amass 
it,  but  because  with  it  I  can  buy  the  world,  love,  honor,  enjoyment, 
and  happiness.  But  not  being  one  of  those  who  find  money  in  their 
cradles,  I  must  endeavor  to  acquire  it  and  avail  myself  of  the  capital 
God  has  given  me  in  my  brains.  And  that  I  shall  and  will  do,  sir, 
but  I  pledge  you  my  word,  never  in  a  base  and  unworthy  manner. 
I  shall  probably  make  people  pay  very  large  sums  of  money  for  my 
services,  but  never  shall  I  sell  myself  ;  all  the  millions  of  the  world 
could  not  induce  me  to  write  against  my  principles,  but  all  the  mill- 
ions of  the  world  I  shall  demand,  when  they  ask  me  to  write  for 
my  principles!  See,  my  friend,  that  is  my  programme,  and  you 
may  be  sure  that  I  shall  live  up  to  it.  I  am  an  aristocrat  by  nature 
and  conviction  ;  hence  I  hate  the  French  Revolution  which  intended 
to  overthrow  every  aristocracy,  not  only  that  of  pedigree,  but  also 
that  of  the  mind,  and  therefore  I  have  sworn  to  oppose  it  as  an  in- 
defatigable and  indomitable  champion,  and  to  strike  it  as  many 
blows  with  my  pen  and  tongue  as  I  can.  Hence  I  shall  never  join 
the  hymns  of  praise  which  the  Germans,  always  too  complaisant, 
are  now  singing  to  the  little  Corsican,  General  Bonaparte.  What- 
ever you  may  say  about  his  heroism  and  genius,  I  believe  him  to  be 
an  enemy  of  Germany,  and  am,  therefore,  on  my  guard. " 

"  So  you  do  not  admire  his  victories,  the  incomparable  plans  of 
his  battles,  which  he  conceives  with  the  coolness  of  a  wise  and  ex- 
perienced chieftain,  and  carries  out  with  the  bravery  and  intrepidity 
of  a  hero  of  antiquity?" 

"  I  admire  all  that,  but  at  the  same  time  it  makes  me  shudder 
when  I  think  that  it  might  some  day  come  into  the  head  of  this  man 
who  conquers  every  thing,  to  invade  and  conquer  Germany  also.  I 
believe,  indeed,  he  would  succeed  in  subjugating  her,  for  I  am 
afraid  we  have  no  man  of  equal  ability  on  our  side  who  could  take 
the  field  against  him.  Ah,  my  friend,  why  does  not  one  of  our 
German  princes  resemble  this  French  general,  this  hero  of  twenty- 
seven  years?  Just  think  of  it,  he  is  no  older  than  our  young  king; 
both  were  born  in  the  same  year. " 


96  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"You  must  not  count  his  years,"  exclaimed  Gualtieri,  "count 
his  great  days,  his  great  battles.  The  enthusiasm  of  all  Europe  hails 
his  coming,  for  he  fights  at  the  head  of  his  legions  for  the  noblest 
boons  of  manhood — for  freedom,  honor,  and  justice.  No  wonder, 
therefore,  that  he  is  victorious  everywhere ;  the  enslaved  nations 
everywhere  are  in  hopes  that  he  will  break  their  fetters  and  give 
them  liberty." 

"  He  is  a  scourge  God  has  sent  to  the  German  princes  so  that  they 
may  grow  wiser  and  better.  He  wishes  to  compel  them  to  respect 
the  claims  of  their  subjects  to  freedom  and  independence,  that  being 
the  only  way  for  them  to  erect  a  bulwark  against  this  usurper  who 
fights  his  battles  not  only  with  the  sword,  but  also  with  ideas.  Oh, 
I  wish  our  German  sovereigns  would  comprehend  all  this,  and  that 
all  those  who  have  a  tongue  to  speak,  would  shout  it  into  their  ears 
and  arouse  them  from  their  proud  security  and  infatuation. " 

"Well,  have  not  you  a  tongue  to  speak,  and  yet  you  are  silent?" 
asked  Gualtieri,  smiling. 

"  No,  I  have  not  been  silent, "  exclaimed  Gentz,  enthusiastically. 
"I  have  done  my  duty  as  a  man  and  citizen,  and  told  the  whole 
truth  to  the  king." 

"  That  means — " 

"  That  means  that  I  have  written  to  the  king,  not  with  the  fawn- 
ing slavishness  of  a  subject,  but  as  a  man  who  has  seen  much,  re- 
flected much,  and  experienced  much,  and  who  speaks  to  a  younger 
man,  called  upon  to  act  an  important  part,  and  holding  the  happiness 
of  millions  of  men  in  his  hands.  It  would  be  a  crime  against  God  and 
humanity,  if  we  knew  the  truth  and  should  not  tell  it  to  such  a  man. 
Because  I  believe  I  know  the  truth,  I  have  spoken  to  the  king,  not 
in  a  letter  which  he  may  read  to-day  and  throw  to-morrow  into  his 
paper-basket,  but  in  a  printed  memorial,  which  I  shall  circulate  in 
thousands  of  copies  as  soon  as  I  have  heard  that  it  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  king." 

"And  you  believe  the  king  will  accept  this  printed  memorial  of 
yours?" 

"  My  friend,  Counsellor  Menken,  has  undertaken  to  deliver  it  to 
the  king. " 

"In  that  case  he  will  accept  it,  for  he  thinks  very  highly  of 
Menken.  But  what  did  you  tell  the  king  in  this  memorial?" 

"  I  gave  him  sound  advice  about  government  affairs. " 

"Advice  1  my  friend,  kings  do  not  like  to  listen  to  advice,  espe- 
cially when  it  is  given  to  them  spontaneously.  Did  you  confine 
yourself  to  general  suggestions?  You  see  I  am  very  anxious  to  learn 
more  about  your  bold  enterprise.  Just  read  the  memorial  to  me, 
friend  Gentz!" 


THE  MEMORIAL  TO  FREDERICK  WILLIAM  III.         97 

"  Ah,  that  would  be  a  gigantic  task  for  you  to  hear  it,  and  for 
myself  to  read  it,  the  memorial  being  quite  lengthy.  I  ask  the  king 
therein  in  impressive  and  fervent  words — oh,  I  wept  myself  when  I 
penned  them — to  make  his  people  happy  and  prosperous.  I  directed 
his  attention  to  the  various  branches  of  our  administration ;  first,  to 
military  affairs — " 

"Aad  you  advise  him  to  make  war?"  asked  Gualtieri,  hastily. 

"  No,  I  advise  him  always  to  be  armed  and  prepared,  but  to  main- 
tain peace  as  long  as  it  is  compatible  with  his  honor.  Next  I  allude 
to  the  condition  of  our  judicial  and  financial  affairs.  I  beseech  him 
to  abstain  from  interference  with  the  administration  of  justice,  to 
insist  upon  a  constant  equilibrium  being  maintained  between  the 
expenses  and  revenues  of  the  state,  so  as  not  to  overburden  his  sub- 
jects with  taxes,  and  not  to  curtail  the  development  of  commerce 
and  industry  by  vexatious  monopolies.  Finally,  I  ask  him  to  de- 
vote some  attention  to  intellectual  affairs  and  to  the  press. " 

"Oh,  I  expected  that,"  said  Gualtieri,  smiling,  "and  I  should 
not  be  surprised  at  all  if  you  had  been  bold  enough  to  ask  the  timid 
and  diffident  young  king  to  grant  freedom  of  the  press  to  his  people. " 

"  Yes,  that  is  what  I  ask  him  to  do, "  said  Gentz,  enthusiastically. 
"You  want  me  to  read  the  whole  memorial  to  you.  Let  me  read  at 
least  what  I  have  said  about  the  freedom  of  the  press.  Will  you 
listen  to  it?" 

"  Oh,  I  am  most  anxious  to  hear  it, "  said  Gualtieri,  sitting  down 
on  the  sofa. 

Gentz  took  several  sheets  of  paper  from  his  desk,  sat  down  oppo- 
site his  friend  and  commenced  reading  in  a  loud  and  enthusiastic 
voice : 

"  Of  all  things  repugnant  to  fetters,  none  can  bear  them  as  little 
as  human  thought.  The  oppression  weighing  down  the  latter  is  not 
merely  injurious  because  it  impedes  what  is  good,  but  also  because 
it  promotes  what  is  bad.  Compulsion  in  matters  of  faith  may  be 
passed  over  in  silence.  It  belongs  to  those  antiquated  evils  on  which 
now  that  there  is  greater  danger  of  an  utter  prostration  of  religious 
ideas  than  of  their  fanatical  abuse,  only  narrow-minded  babblers 
are  declaiming.  Not  so,  however,  with  regard  to  freedom  of  the 
press.  Misled  by  unfounded  apprehensions,  arising  from  the  events 
of  the  times,  even  sagacious  men  might  favor  a  system  which, 
viewed  in  its  true  light,  is  more  injurious  to  the  interests  of  the 
government  than  it  ever  can  be  to  the  rights  of  the  citizens,  even  in 
its  most  deplorable  abuses. 

"What,  even  aside  from  all  other  considerations,  peremptorily 
and  absolutely  condemns  any  law  muzzling  the  press,  is  the  impor- 
tant fact  that  it  is  impossible  to  enforce  it.  Unless  there  be  a  regular 


98  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

inquisition  watching  over  the  execution  of  such  a  law,  it  is  now-a- 
days  utterly  impossible  to  carry  it  out.  The  facilities  for  bringing 
ideas  before  the  public  are  so  great,  as  to  render  any  measure 
destined  to  curtail  this  publicity  a  mere  matter  of  derision.  But  if 
these  laws  prove  ineffectual  they  may  yet  exasperate  the  people,  and 
that  is  precisely  their  most  dangerous  feature ;  they  exasperate 
without  deterring.  They  instigate  those  against  whom  they  are 
directed  to  offer  a  resistance  which  frequently  not  only  remains  suc- 
cessful, but  moreover  becomes  glorious  and  honorable.  The  most 
wretched  productions,  whose  real  value  would  not  secure  a  life  of 
two  hours,  obtain  general  circulation  because  it  seems  to  have  re- 
quired some  degree  of  courage  to  write  them.  The  most  insignifi- 
cant scribblers  will  be  looked  upon  as  men  of  mind,  and  the  most 
venal  writers  suddenly  become  'martyrs  of  truth.'  A  thousand 
noxious  insects,  whom  a  sunbeam  of  truth  and  real  sagacity  would 
have  dispersed,  favored  by  the  darkness  created  for  them  with  de- 
plorable short-sightedness,  insinuate  themselves  into  the  unarmed 
minds  of  the  people,  and  instil  their  poison  to  the  last  drop,  as  though 
it  were  a  forbidden  delicacy  of  the  most  exquisite  character.  The 
only  antidote,  the  productions  of  better  writers,  loses  its  strength 
because  the  uninformed  only  too  easily  mistake  the  advocates  of 
salutary  restrictions  for  the  defenders  of  such  as  are  manifestly  un- 
just and  oppressive. 

"  Let  freedom  of  the  press,  therefore,  be  the  immovable  principle 
of  your  government,  not  as  though  the  state  or  mankind,  in  this  age 
so  prolific  in  books,  were  interested  in  the  publication  of  a  thousand 
works  more  or  less,  but  because  your  majesty  is  too  great  to  main- 
tain an  unsuccessful,  and  therefore  disastrous  struggle,  with  petty 
adversaries.  Every  one  should  be  held  responsible,  strictly  respon- 
sible for  unlawful  acts  and  writings  assuming  such  a  character,  but 
mere  opinion  should  meet  with  no  other  adversary  than  its  opposite, 
and  if  it  be  erroneous,  with  the  truth.  Never  will  such  a  system 
prove  dangerous  to  a  well-regulated  state,  and  never  has  it  injured 
such  a  one.  Where  it  apparently  became  pernicious,  destruction  had 
preceded  it  already,  and  mortification  and  putrefaction  had  set  in. "  * 

"Well?"  asked  Gentz,  with  glowing  cheeks  and  flashing  eyes, 
when  he  had  ceased  reading,  "  what  do  you  think  of  my  exposition 
of  the  freedom  of  the  press?  Is  it  not  clear,  convincing,  and  un- 
answerable? Will  not  the  king  see  that  my  words  contain  the  truth, 
and  hence  follow  them?" 

Gualtieri  looked  at  his  friend  with  an  air  of  compassionate  ten- 
derness. 

*  Memorial  respectfully  presented  to  his  majesty  Frederick  William  IIL ,  on  his 
accession  to  the  throne,  November  16, 1797.  by  Frederick  Gentz. 


THE  MEMORIAL  TO  FREDERICK  WILLIAM  III.         99 

"  Oh,  you  are  a  full-grown  child, "  he  said  ;  "  you  still  believe  in 
the  possibility  of  realizing  Utopian  dreams,  and  your  faith  is  so 
honest,  so  manly  !  You  want  to  force  a  scourge  upon  a  timid  young 
king,  who  most  ardently  desires  to  maintain  peace,  and  to  remain 
unnoticed,  and  tell  him,  '  With  this  scourge  drive  out  the  evil  spirits 
and  expel  the  lies,  so  as  to  cause  daylight  to  dawn,  and  darkness  to 
disappear  !' — as  though  that  daylight  would  not  be  sure  to  lay  bare 
all  the  injuries  and  ulcers  of  which  our  own  poor  Prussia  is  suffering, 
and  for  which  she  greatly  needs  darkness  and  silence. " 

"What!  you  think  the  king  will  take  no  notice  of  my  demands?" 

"  I  believe, "  said  Gualtieri,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  "  that  you 
are  a  highly-gifted  visionary,  and  that  the  king  is  a  tolerably  intel- 
ligefit  and  tolerably  sober  young  gentleman,  who,  whenever  he 
wants  to  skate,  does  not  allow  himself  to  be  dazzled  and  enticed  by 
the  smooth  and  glittering  surface,  but  first  repeatedly  examines  the 
ice  in  order  to  find  out  whether  it  is  firm  enough  to  bear  him.  And 
now  good-by,  my  poor  friend.  I  came  here  to  congratulate  you  for 
having  regained  your  liberty,  and  for  belonging  again  to  the  noble 
and  only  happy  order  of  bachelors  ;  but  instead  of  hearing  you  rejoice, 
I  find  in  you  a  philanthropic  fanatic,  and  an  enthusiastic  advocate 
of  a  free  press. " 

"  But  that  does  not  prevent  you  from  wishing  me  joy  at  my  return 
to  a  bachelor's  life,"  exclaimed  Gentz,  laughing.  "Yes,  my  friend, 
I  am  free ;  life  is  mine  again,  and  now  let  the  flames  of  pleasure 
close  again  over  my  head — let  enjoyment  surround  me  again  in  fiery 
torrents,  I  shall  exultingly  plunge  into  the  whirlpool  and  feel  as 
happy  ^s  a  god  !  We  must  celebrate  the  day  of  my  regeneration  in 
a  becoming  manner  ;  we  must  celebrate  it  with  foaming  champagne, 
pcites  defoie  gras,  and  oysters  ;  and  if  we  want  to  devote  a  last  tear 
to  the  memory  of  my  wife,  why,  we  shall  drink  a  glass  of  Lacrymce 
Cliristi  in  her  honor.  You  must  come  and  see  me  to-night,  Gual- 
tieri. I  shall  invite  a  few  other  friends,  and  if  you  will  afford  us  a 
rare  pleasure,  you  will  read  to  us  some  of  La  Fontaine's  Fables, 
which  no  one  understands  to  recite  so  well  as  you. " 

"I  shall  do  so,"  said  Gualtieri,  extending  his  hand  to  Gentz.  "I 
shall  read  to  you  one  of  La  Fontaine's  Fables,  the  first  two  lines  of 
which  eloquently  express  the  whole  history  of  your  past. " 

"  Let  me  hear  those  two  lines. " 

Gualtieri  covered  his  head,  and  standing  in  the  door  he  had 
opened,  he  said  with  a  deep  pathos  and  in  a  profoundly  melancholy 
voice : 

"Deux  coqs  vivaient  en  paix;  une  poule  survint, 
Et  voil&  la  guerre  allumee  " — 

and  nodding  a  last  adieu,  he  disappeared. 


100  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Gentz  laughed.  "Indeed,  he  is  right,"  he  exclaimed;  "that  is 
the  end  of  wedded  life.  But,  thank  God,  mine  is  over,  and,  I  swear 
by  all  my  hopes,  never  will  I  be  such  a  fool  as  to  marry  again  !  I 
shall  remain  a  bachelor  as  long  as  I  live  ;  for  he  who  belongs  to  no 
woman  owns  all  women.  It  is  time,  however,  to  think  of  to-night's 
banquet.  But  in  order  to  give  a  banquet,  I  must  first  procure  new 
furniture  for  my  rooms,  and  this  time  I  won't  have  any  but  beauti- 
ful and  costly  furniture.  And  how  shall  I  get  it?  Ah,  parbleu,  I 
forgot  the  six  hundred  dollars  I  received  from  the  minister.  I  shall 
buy  furniture  for  that  sum.  No,  that  would  be  very  foolish,  inas- 
much as  I  greatly  need  it  for  other  purposes.  The  furniture  dealers, 
I  have  no  doubt,  will  willingly  trust  me,  for  I  never  yet  purchased 
any  thing  of  them.  Unfortunately,  I  cannot  say  so  much  in  regard 
to  him  who  is  to  furnish  me  the  wines  and  delicacies  for  the  supper, 
and  I  have  only  one  hundred  dollars  in  my  pocket.  The  other  five 
hundred  dollars  I  must  send  to  that  bloodsucker,  that  heartless  cred- 
itor Werner.  But  must  I  do  so?  Ah !  really,  I  believe  it  would  be 
rank  folly.  The  fellow  would  think  he  had  frightened  me,  and  as 
soon  as  I  should  owe  him  another  bill,  he  would  again  besiege  my 
door,  and  raise  a  fresh  disturbance  here.  No ;  I  will  show  him  that 
I  am  not  afraid  of  him,  and  that  his  impudent  conduct  deserves  pun- 
ishment. Oh,  John !  John  !" 

The  door  was  opened  immediately,  and  the  footman  entered. 

"John,"  said  Gentz,  gravely,  "go  at  once  to  Mr.  Werner.  Tell 
him  some  friends  are  coming  to  see  me  to-night.  I  therefore  want 
him  to  send  me  this  evening  twenty-four  bottles  of  champagne, 
three  large  pates  de  foie  gras,  two  hundred  oysters,  and  whatever  is 
necessary  for  a  supper.  If  he  should  fill  my  order  promptly  and 
carefully,  he  can  send  me  to-morrow  a  receipt  for  two  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  I  will  pay  him  the  money.  But  if  a  single  oyster  should 
be  bad,  if  a  single  bottle  of  champagne  should  prove  of  poor  quality, 
or  if  he  should  dare  to  decline  furnishing  me  with  the  supper,  he 
will  not  get  a  single  groschen.  Go  and  tell  him  that,  and  be  back 
as  soon  a3  possible. " 

"Meantime,  I  will  write  a  few  invitations,"  said  Gentz,  as  soon 
as  he  was  alone.  "  But  I  shall  invite  none  but  unmarried  men.  In 
the  first  place,  the  Austrian  minister,  Prince  von  Reuss.  This  gen- 
tleman contents  himself  with  one  mistress,  and  as  he  fortunately 
does  not  suspect  that  the  beautiful  Marianne  Meier  is  at  the  same 
time  my  mistress,  he  is  a  great  friend  of  mine.  Yes,  if  he  knew 
that — ah  !"  he  interrupted  himself,  laughing,  "  that  would  be  another 
illustration  of  La  Fontaine's  fable  of  the  two  cocks  and  the  hen. 
Well,  I  will  now  write  the  invitations. " 


THE    WEDDING.  101 

He  had  just  finished  the  last  note  when  the  door  opened,  and 
John  entered,  perfectly  out  of  breath. 

"Well,  did  you  see  Mr.  Werner?"  asked  Gentz,  folding  the  last 
note. 

"  Yes,  sir.  Mr.  Werner  sends  word  that  he  will  furnish  the  sup- 
per promptly  and  satisfactorily,  and  will  deliver  here  to-night 
twenty -four  bottles  of  his  best  champagne,  three  large  pdtes  de  foie 
gras,  two  hundred  oysters,  etc. ,  but  only  on  one  condition. " 

"What!  the  fellow  actually  dares  to  impose  conditions?"  ex- 
claimed Gentz,  indignantly.  "What  is  it  he  asks?" 

"  He  asks  you,  sir,  when  he  has  delivered  every  thing  you  have 
ordered,  and  before  going  to  supper,  to  be  kind  enough  to  step  out 
for  a  moment  into  the  anteroom,  where  Mr.  Werner  will  wait  for 
you  in  order  to  receive  there  his  two  hundred  dollars.  I  am  to  notify 
him  if  you  accept  this  condition,  and  if  so,  he  will  furnish  the 
supper. " 

"Ah,  that  is  driving  me  to  the  wall, "  exclaimed  Gentz,  laughing. 
"Well,  go  back,  to  the  shrewd  fellow  and  tell  him  that  I  accept  his 
conditions.  He  is  to  await  me  in  the  anteroom,  and  as  he  would, 
of  course,  make  a  tremendous  noise  in  case  I  should  disappoint  him, 
he  may  be  sure  that  I  shall  come.  So  go  to  him,  John. " 

"  As  for  myself, "  said  Gentz,  putting  on  his  cloak,  "  I  shall  go 
and  purchase  several  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  furniture ;  my 
rooms  shall  hereafter  be  as  gorgeous  as  those  of  a  prince.  By  the 
by,  I  believe  I  have  been  too  generous.  If  I  had  offered  Werner  one 
hundred  dollars,  he  would  have  contented  himself  with  that  sum. " 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  WEDDING. 

AT  the  house  of  the  wealthy  banker  Itzig  a  rare  festival  took 
place  to-day,  a  festival  which  all  Berlin  had  been  talking  of  for  the 
last  few  days,  and  which  had  formed  the  topic  of  conversation,  no 
less  among  the  people  on  the  streets,  than  among  the  aristocratic 
classes  in  their  palatial  mansions.  To-day  the  wedding  of  three  of 
his  beautiful  young  daughters  was  to  take  place,  and  the  rich,  osten- 
tatious, and  generous  gentleman  had  left  nothing  undone  in  order 
to  celebrate  this  gala-day  in  as  brilliant  and  imposing  a  manner  as 
possible.  All  the  manufacturers  of  Berlin  had  been  employed  for 
months  to  get  up  the  trousseaux  of  his  daughters,  for  he  had  de- 
clared that  they  should  wear  exclusively  the  productions  of  German 


103  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

industry,  and  that  not  a  single  piece  of  their  new  household  goods 
should  be  of  French  manufacture.  Hence,  all  the  gorgeous  brocades, 
velvets,  and  laces  for  their  dresses  and  furniture  had  been  woven  in 
Berlin  manufactories  ;  the  most  magnificent  linen  had  been  ordered 
from  Silesia,  and  a  host  of  milliners  and  seamstresses  had  got  up 
every  thing  required  for  the  wardrobe  of  the  young  ladies,  in  the 
most  skilful  and  artistic  manner.  Even  the  plate  and  costly  jewelry 
had  been  manufactured  by  Berlin  jewellers,  and  the  rich  and  ex- 
quisitely painted  china  had  been  purchased  at  the  royal  Porzellan- 
fabrik.  These  three  trousseaux,  so  beautiful  and  expensive,  had 
been,  as  it  were,  a  triumph  of  home  art  and  home  industry,  and  for 
this  reason  they  excited  general  attention.  Herr  Itzig  had  finally, 
though  very  reluctantly,  yielded  to  the  urgent  entreaties  of  his 
friends  and  admitted  the  public  to  the  rooms  and  halls  of  his  house 
in  which  the  trousseaux  of  his  daughters  were  displayed.  However, 
in  order  not  to  lay  himself  open  to  the  charge  of  boastful  ostenta- 
tion, he  had  tried  to  impart  a  useful  and  charitable  character  to 
this  exhibition.  He  had  fixed  a  tablet  over  the  entrance  to  those 
rooms,  bearing  the  inscription  of  "Exhibition  of  Productions  of 
Home  Industry  ;  "  in  addition,  every  visitor  had  to  buy  a  ticket  of 
admission  for  a  few  groschen,  the  proceeds  to  be  distributed  among 
the  poor. 

Every  one  hastened  to  the  banker's  house  in  order  to  admire  the 
"productions  of  home  industry. "  Even  the  queen  had  come  with 
one  of  her  ladies  of  honor  to  inspect  the  gorgeous  display,  and  while 
admiring  the  magnificence  of  the  silks  and  velvets  and  the  artistic 
setting  of  the  diamonds,  she  had  exclaimed  joyfully  :  "How  glad  I 
am  to  see  that  Germany  is  really  able  to  do  entirely  without  France, 
and  to  satisfy  all  her  wants  from  her  own  resources  !" 

The  queen  had  uttered  these  words  perhaps  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment,  but  the  public  imparted  to  them  a  peculiar  meaning  and 
tendency  ;  and  the  newspapers,  the  organs  of  public  opinion,  never 
tired  of  praising  the  royal  words,  and  of  admonishing  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Berlin  to  visit  the  patriotic  exhibition  at  the  banker's  house. 
Curiosity,  moreover,  stimulated  the  zeal  of  the  ladies,  while  politi- 
cal feeling  caused  the  male  part  of  the  population  to  appear  at  the 
exhibition.  But  when  it  became  known  that  the  French  embassy 
had  taken  umbrage  at  the  zeal  manifested  by  the  people  of  Berlin, 
and  that  the  French  minister  had  even  dared  at  the  royal  table  to 
complain  loudly  and  bitterly  of  the  words  uttered  by  the  queen  in 
Herrltzig's  house,  the  indignation  became  general,  and  the  visits 
to  the  exhibition  assumed  the  character  of  a  national  demonstration 
against  the  overbearing  French.  Hosts  of  spectators  now  hastened 
to  Herr  Itzig 's  house,  and  gay,  mischievous  young  men  took 


THE   WEDDING.  103 

pleasure  in  stationing  themselves  in  groups  in  the  street  on  which 
the  French  minister  was  living,  right  in  front  of  the  house,  in  order 
to  converse  loudly  in  the  French  language  about  the  rare  attractions 
of  the  banker's  exhibition,  and  to  praise  the  noble  patriot  who  dis- 
dained to  buy  abroad  what  he  could  get  at  home  just  as  well,  if  not 
better. 

The  success  of  his  exhibition,  however,  far  exceeded  the  wishes 
of  the  banker,  and  he  was  glad  when  the  days  during  which  the  ex- 
hibition was  to  continue  were  at  an  end,  so  that  he  could  exclude 
the  inquisitive  visitors  from  his  house. 

But  to-day  the  house  was  to  be  opened  to  the  invited  guests,  for 
to-day,  as  we  stated  before,  Herr  Itzig  was  going  to  celebrate  simul- 
taneously the  wedding  of  three  of  his  beautiful  daughters,  and  the 
whole  place  was  astir  with  preparations  for  a  becoming  observance 
of  the  gala- day. 

While  the  footmen  and  other  servants,  under  the  direction  of 
skilful  artists,  were  engaged  in  gorgeously  decorating  the  parlors 
and  halls ;  while  a  hundred  busy  hands  in  the  kitchen  and  cellar 
were  preparing  a  sumptuous  repast ;  while  Herr  Itzig  and  wife  were 
giving  the  last  directions  for  the  details  of  the  festival,  the  three 
brides  were  chatting  confidentially  in  their  own  room.  All  of 
them  were  quite  young  yet,  the  eldest  sister  having  scarcely  com- 
pleted her  twenty-first  year.  They  were  very  beautiful,  and  theirs 
was  the  striking  and  energetic  beauty  peculiar  to  the  women  of  the 
Orient — that  beauty  of  flaming  black  eyes,  glossy  black  hair,  a 
glowing  olive  complexion,  and  slender  but  well- developed  forms. 
They  wore  a  full  bridal  costume ;  their  bare,  beautifully  rounded 
arms  and  necks  were  gorgeously  adorned  with  diamonds  and  other 
precious  stones ;  their  tall  and  vigorous  figures  were  clad  in  white 
silk  dresses,  trimmed  with  superb  laces.  He  \vlio  would  have  seen 
them  thus  in  the  full  charm  of  beauty,  grace,  and  youth,  in  their 
magnificent  costumes,  and  with  delicate  myrtle -crowns  on  their 
heads,  would  have  believed  he  beheld  three  favorite  daughters  of 
Fate,  who  had  never  known  care  and  grief,  and  upon  whose  heads 
happiness  had  poured  down  an  uninterrupted  sunshine. 

Perhaps  it  was  so  ;  perhaps  it  was  only  the  beautiful  myrtle-crowns 
that  cast  a  shadow  over  the  faces  of  the  three  brides,  and  not  their 
secret  thoughts — their  silent  wishes. 

They  had  eagerly  conversed  for  a  while,  but  now,  however,  they 
paused  and  seemed  deeply  absorbed.  Finally,  one  of  them  slowly 
raised  her  glowing  black  eyes  and  cast  a  piercing  glance  upon  her 
sisters.  They  felt  the  magic  influence  of  this  glance,  and  raised 
their  eyes  at  the  same  time. 

"Why  do  you  look  at  us  so  intently,  Fanny?"  they  asked. 


104  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"I  want  to  see  if  I  can  read  truth  on  your  brow,"  said  Fanny, 
"or  if  the  diamonds  and  the  myrtle-crowns  conceal  every  thing. 
Girls,  suppose  we  take  off  for  a  moment  the  shining  but  lying  masks 
with  which  we  adorn  ourselves  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and  show 
to  each  other  our  true  and  natural  character?  We  have  always  lied 
to  each  other.  We  said  mutually  to  each  other :  '  I  am  happy.  I 
am  not  jealous  of  you,  for  I  am  just  as  happy  as  you. '  Suppose  we 
now  open  our  lips  really  and  tell  the  truth  about  our  hearts?  Would 
not  it  be  novel  and  original?  Would  it  not  be  an  excellent  way  of 
whiling  away  these  few  minutes  until  our  betrothed  come  and  lead 
us  to  the  altar?  See,  this  is  the  last  time  that  we  shall  be  thus 
together — the  last  time  that  we  bear  the  name  of  our  father  ;  let  us, 
therefore,  for  once  tell  each  other  our  true  sentiments.  Shall  we 
do  so?" 

"  Yes, "  exclaimed  the  two  sisters.  "  But  about  what  do  you  want 
us  to  tell  you  the  truth  ?" 

"  About  our  hearts, "  replied  Fanny,  gravely.  "  Esther,  you  are 
the  eldest  of  us  three.  You  must  commence.  Tell  us,  therefore,  if 
you  love  your  betrothed,  Herr  Ephraim?" 

Esther  looked  at  her  in  amazement.  "  If  I  love  him  ?"  she  asked. 
"  Good  Heaven !  how  should  I  happen  to  love  him  ?  I  scarcely  know 
him.  Father  selected  him  for  me  ;  it  is  a  brilliant  match  ;  I  shall 
remain  in  Berlin  ;  I  shall  give  splendid  parties  and  by  my  magnifi- 
cent style  of  living  greatly  annoy  those  ladies  of  the  so-called  haute 
volee,  who  have  sometimes  dared  to  turn  up  their  noses  at  the 
'Jewesses. '  Whether  I  shall  be  able  to  love  Ephraim,  I  do  not 
know ;  but  we  shall  live  in  brilliant  style,  and  as  we  shall  give 
magnificent  dinner-parties,  we  shall  never  lack  guests  from  the 
most  refined  classes  of  society.  Such  are  the  prospects  of  my  future, 
and  although  I  cannot  say  that  I  am  content  with  them,  yet  I  know 
that  others  will  deem  my  position  a  most  enviable  one,  and  that  is 
at  least  something. " 

"The  first  confession!"  said  Fanny,  smiling.  "Now  it  is  your 
turn,  Lydia.  Tell  us,  therefore,  do  you  love  Baron  von  Eskeles, 
your  future  husband  ?" 

Lydia  looked  at  her  silently  and  sadly.  "  Do  not  ask  me, "  she 
said,  "for  you  and  Esther  know  very  well  that  I  do  not  love  him. 
I  once  had  a  splendid  dream.  I  beheld  myself  an  adored  wife  by  the 
side  of  a  young  man  whom  I  loved  and  who  loved  me  passionately. 
He  was  an  artist,  and  when  he  was  sitting  at  his  easel,  he  felt  that 
he  was  rich  and  happy,  even  without  money,  for  he  had  his  genius 
and  his  art.  When  I  was  looking  at  his  paintings,  and  at  the  hand- 
some and  inspired  artist  himself,  it  seemed  to  me  there  was  but  one 
road  to  happiness  on  earth  :  to  belong  to  that  man,  to  love  him,  to 


THE   WEDDING.  105 

serve  him,  and,  if  it  must  be,  to  suffer  and  starve  with  him.  It 
was  a  dream,  and  father  aroused  me  from  it  by  telling  me  that  I 
was  to  marry  Baron  von  Eskeles,  that  he  had  already  made  an 
agreement  with  the  baron's  father,  and  that  the  wedding  would  take 
place  in  two  weeks. " 

"Poor  Lydia  !"  murmured  the  sisters. 

A  pause  ensued.  "  Well, "  asked  Esther,  "  and  you,  Fanny  ?  You 
examine  us  and  say  nothing  about  yourself.  What  about  your 
heart,  my  child?  Do  you  love  your  betrothed,  Baron  von  Arnstein, 
the  partner  of  Eskeles,  your  future  brother-in-law?  You  are  silent? 
Have  you  nothing  to  say  to  us?" 

"  I  have  to  say  to  you  that  we  are  all  to  be  pitied  and  very  unhappy, " 
said  Fanny,  passionately.  "Yes,  to  be  pitied  and  very  unhappy, 
notwithstanding  our  wealth,  our  diamonds,  and  our  brilliant  future  ! 
We  have  been  sold  like  goods ;  no  one  has  cared  about  the  hearts 
which  these  goods  happen  to  have,  but  eveiy  one  merely  took  into 
consideration  how  much  profit  he  would  derive  from  them.  Oh, 
my  sisters,  we  rich  Jewesses  are  treated  just  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  poor  princesses ;  we  are  sold  to  the  highest  bidder.  And  we 
have  not  got  the  necessary  firmness,  energy,  and  independence  to 
emancipate  ourselves  from  this  degrading  traffic  in  flesh  and  blood. 
We  bow  our  heads  and  obey,  and,  in  the  place  of  love  and  happi- 
ness, we  fill  our  hearts  with  pride  and  ostentation,  and  yet  we  are 
starving  and  pining  away  in  the  midst  of  our  riches." 

"  Yes, "  sighed  Lydia,  "  and  we  dare  not  even  complain  !  Doomed 
to  eternal  falsehood,  we  must  feign  a  happiness  we  do  not  experi- 
ence, and  a  love  we  do  not  feel. " 

"I  shall  not  do  so!"  exclaimed  Fanny,  proudly.  "It  is  enough 
for  me  to  submit  to  compulsion,  and  to  bow  my  head ;  but  never 
shall  I  stoop  so  low  as  to  lie. " 

"  What !  you  are  going  to  tell  your  husband  that  you  do  not  love 
him?"  asked  the  sisters. 

"  I  shall  not  say  that  to  my  husband,  but  to  my  betrothed  as  soon 
as  he  makes  his  appearance. " 

"  But  suppose  he  does  not  want  to  marry  a  girl  who  does  not  love 
him?" 

"Then  he  is  the  one  who  breaks  off  the  match,  not  I,  and  father 
cannot  blame  me  for  it.  But  do  you  not  hear  footsteps  in  the  hall  ? 
It  is  my  betrothed.  I  begged  him  to  be  here  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  ceremony,  because  I  desired 
to  speak  to  him  about  a  very  serious  matter.  He  is  coming.  Now 
pray  go  to  the  parlor,  and  wait  for  me  there.  I  shall  rejoin  you, 
perhaps  alone,  and  in  that  case  I  shall  be  free ;  perhaps,  however, 
Arnstein  will  accompany  me,  and  in -that  eventuality  he  will  have 


106  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

accepted  the  future  as  I  am  going  to  offer  it  to  him.  Farewell, 
sisters  ;  may  God  protect  us  all. " 

"  May  God  protect  you  !  "  said  Lydia,  tenderly  embracing  her  sis- 
ter. "You  have  a  courageous  and  strong  soul,  and  I  wish  mine 
were  like  yours. " 

"  Would  that  save  you,  Lydia?"  asked  Fanny,  sharply.  "  Courage 
and  energy  are  of  no  avail  in  our  case ;  in  spite  of  our  resistance, 
we  should  have  to  submit  and  to  suffer.  He  is  coming. " 

She  pushed  her  sisters  gently  toward  the  parlor  door,  and  then 
went  to  meet  her  betrothed,  who  had  just  entered. 

"  Mr.  Arnstein, "  said  Fanny,  giving  him  her  hand,  "  I  thank  you 
for  complying  so  promptly  with  my  request. " 

"  A  business  man  is  always  prompt, "  said  the  young  baron,  with 
a  polite  bow. 

"  Ah,  and  you  treat  this  interview  with  me  likewise  as  a  business 
affair?" 

"  Yes,  but  as  a  business  affair  of  the  rarest  and  most  exquisite 
character.  A  conference  with  a  charming  young  lady  is  worth 
more  than  a  conference  with  the  wealthiest  business  friend,  even  if 
the  interview  with  the  latter  should  yield  a  profit  of  one  hundred 
per  cent." 

"  Ah,  I  believe  you  want  to  flatter  me, "  said  Fanny,  closely  scan- 
ning the  small  and  slender  figure  and  the  pale  face  of  the  baron. 

He  bowed  with  a  gentle  smile,  but  did  not  raise  his  eyes  toward 
her.  Fanny  could  not  help  perceiving  that  his  brow  was  slightly 
clouded. 

"  Baron, "  she  said,  "  I  have  begged  you  to  come  and  see  me,  be- 
cause I  do  not  want  to  go  to  the  altar  with  a  lie  on  my  soul.  I  will 
not  deceive  God  and  yourself,  and  therefore  I  now  tell  you,  frankly 
and  sincerely,  I  do  not  love  you,  baron  ;  only  my  father's  will  gives 
my  hand  to  you  !" 

There  was  no  perceptible  change  in  the  young  baron's  face.  He 
seemed  neither  surprised  nor  offended. 

"Do  you  love  another  man?"  he  asked  quietly. 

"No,  I  love  no  one  !"  exclaimed  Fanny. 

"Ah,  then,  you  are  fortunate  indeed,"  he  said,  gloomily.  "It  is 
by  far  easier  to  marry  with  a  cold  heart,  than  to  do  so  with  a  broken 
one  ;  for  the  cold  heart  may  grow  warm,  but  the  broken  one  never. " 

Fanny's  eyes  were  fixed  steadfastly  on  his  features. 

"Mr.  Arnstein,"  she  exclaimed,  impetuously,  "you  do  not  love 
me  either !" 

He  forced  himself  to  smile.  "Who  could  see  you — you,  the 
proud,  glorious  beauty — without  falling  in  love  with  you?"  he  ex- 
claimed, emphatically. 


THE    WEDDING.  107 

"Pray,  no  empty  flatteries,"  said  Fanny,  impatiently.  "Oh, 
tell  me  the  truth  !  I  am  sure  you  do  not  love  me  !" 

"  I  saw  you  too  late, "  he  said,  mournfully ;  "  if  I  had  known  you 
sooner,  I  should  have  loved  you  passionately. " 

"But  now  I  am  too  late — and  have  you  already  loved  another?" 
she  asked,  hastily. 

"Yes,  I  love  another,"  he  said,  gravely  and  solemnly.  "As  you 
ask  me,  I  ought  to  tell  you  the  truth.  I  love  another. " 

"Nevertheless,  you  want  to  marry  me?"  she  exclaimed,  angrily. 

"And  you?"  he  asked,  gently.     "Do  you  love  me?" 

"  But  I  told  you  already  my  heart  is  free.  I  love  no  one,  while 
you — why  don't  you  marry  her  whom  you  love?" 

"  Because  I  cannot  marry  her. " 

"Why  cannot  you  marry  her?" 

"  Because  my  father  is  opposed  to  it.  He  is  the  chief  of  our 
house  and  family.  He  commands,  and  we  obey.  He  is  opposed  to 
it  because  the  young  lady  whom  I  love  is  poor.  She  would  not  in- 
crease the  capital  of  our  firm." 

"  Oh,  eternally,  eternally  that  cold  mammon,  that  idol  to  whom 
our  hearts  are  sacrificed  so  ruthlessly !"  exclaimed  Fanny,  indig- 
nantly. "For  money  we  sell  our^ youth,  our  happiness,  and  our 
love." 

"  I  have  not  sold  my  love.  I  have  sacrificed  it, "  said  Baron 
Arnstein,  gravely  ;  "  I  have  sacrificed  it  to  the  interests  of  our  firm. 
But  in  seeing  you  so  charming  and  sublime  in  your  loveliness  and 
glowing  indignation,  I  am  fully  satisfied  already  that  I  am  no 
longer  to  be  pitied,  for  I  shall  have  the  most  beautiful  and  generous 
wife  in  all  Vienna. " 

"  Then  you  really  want  to  marry  me  ?  You  will  not  break  off  the 
match,  although  your  heart  belongs  to  another  woman,  and  although 
you  know  that  I  do  not  love  you  ?" 

"My  beautiful  betrothed,  let  us  not  deceive  each  other,"  he  said, 
smiling ;  "  it  is  not  a  marriage,  but  a  partnership  we  are  going  to 
conclude  in  obedience  to  the  wishes  of  our  fathers.  In  agreeing 
upon  this  partnership  only  our  fortunes,  but  not  our  hearts,  were 
thought  of.  The  houses  of  Itzig,  Arnstein,  and  Eskeles  will  flourish 
more  than  ever  ;  whether  the  individuals  belonging  to  these  houses 
will  wither  is  of  no  importance.  Let  us  therefore  submit  to  our 
fate,  my  dear,  for  we  cannot  escape  from  it.  Would  it  be  condu- 
cive to  your  happiness  if  I  should  break  off  the  match  ?  Your  father 
would  probably  select  another  husband  for  you,  perhaps  in  Poland 
or  in  Russia,  and  you  would  be  buried  with  all  the  treasures  of  your 
beauty  and  accomplishments  in  some  obscure  corner  of  the  world, 
while  I  shall  take  you  to  Vienna,  to  the  great  theatre  of  the  world 


108  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

— upon  a  stage  where  you  will  at  least  not  lack  triumphs  and  hom- 
age. And  I  ?  Why  should  I  be  such  a  stupid  fool  as  to  give  you  up 
— you  who  bring  to  me  much  more  than  I  deserve — your  beauty, 
your  accomplishments,  and  your  generous  heart?  Ah,  I  shall  be  the 
target  of  general  envy,  for  there  is  no  lady  in  Vienna  worthy  of 
being  compared  with  you.  As  I  cannot  possess  her  whom  I  love,  I 
may  thank  God  that  my  father  has  selected  you  for  me.  You  alone 
are  to  be  pitied,  Fanny,  for  I  cannot  offer  you  any  compensation  for 
the  sacrifices  you  are  about  to  make  in  my  favor.  I  am  unworthy 
of  you  ;  you  are  my  superior  in  beauty,  intellect,  and  education.  I 
am  a  business  man,  that  is  all.  But  in  return  I  have  at  least  some- 
thing to  give — wealth,  splendor,  and  a  name  that  has  a  good  sound, 
even  at  the  imperial  court.  Let  me,  then,  advise  you  as  a  friend  to 
accept  my  hand — it  is  the  hand  of  a  friend  who,  during  his  whole 
life,  will  honestly  strive  to  compensate  you  for  not  being  able  to  give 
his  love  to  you  and  to  secure  your  happiness. " 

He  feelingly  extended  his  hand  to  her,  and  the  young  lady  slowly 
laid  hers  upon  it. 

"Be  it  so!"  she  said,  solemnly;  "I  accept  your  hand  and  am 
ready  to  follow  you.  We  shall  not  be  a  pair  of  happy  lovers,  but 
two  good  and  sincere  friends. " 

"  That  is  all  I  ask, "  said  Arnstien,  gently.  "  Never  shall  I  molest 
you  with  pretensions  and  demands  that  might  offend  your  delicacy 
and  be  repugnant  to  your  heart ;  never  shall  I  ask  more  of  you  than 
what  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  deserve — your  esteem  and  your  confi- 
dence. Never  shall  I  entertain  the  infatuated  pretensions  of  a  hus- 
band demanding  from  his  wife  an  affection  and  fidelity  he  is  him- 
self unable  to  offer  her.  In  the  eyes  of  the  world  we  shall  be  man 
and  wife  ;  but  in  the  interior  of  your  house  you  will  find  liberty  and 
independence.  There  you  will  be  able  to  gratify  all  your  whims 
and  wishes  ;  there  every  one  will  bow  to  you  and  obey  you.  First 
of  all,  I  shall  do  so  myself.  You  shall  be  the  pride,  the  glory  and 
joy  of  my  house,  and  secure  to  it  a  brilliant  position  in  society. 
We  shall  live  in  princely  style,  and  you  shall  rule  as  a  queen  in  my 
house.  Will  that  satisfy  you?  Do  you  accept  my  proposition ?" 

"Yes,  I  accept  it, "  exclaimed  Fanny,  with  radiant  eyes,  "and  I 
assure  you  no  other  house  in  Vienna  shall  equal  ours.  We  will 
make  it  a  centre  of  the  best  society,  and  in  the  midst  of  this  circle 
which  is  to  embrace  the  most  eminent  representatives  of  beauty, 
intellect,  and  distinction,  we  will  forget  that  we  are  united  without 
happiness  and  without  love." 

"But  there  will  be  a  day  when  your  heart  will  love,"  said  Arn- 
stein.  "  Swear  to  me  that  you  will  not  curse  me  on  that  day  because 
I  shall  then  stand  between  you  and  your  love.  Swear  to  me  that 


MARIANNE  MEIER.  109 

you  will  always  regard  me  as  your  friend,  that  you  will  have  con- 
fidence in  me,  and  tell  me  when  that  unhappy  and  yet  so  happy  hour 
will  strike,  when  your  heart  begins  to  speak. " 

"  I  swear  it  to  you  !"  said  Fanny,  gravely.  "  We  will  always  be 
sincere  toward  each  other.  Thus  we  shall  always  be  able  to  avert 
wretchedness,  although  it  may  not  be  in  our  power  to  secure  happi- 
ness. And  now,  my  friend,  come,  give  me  your  arm  and  accom- 
pany me  to  the  parlor  where  they  are  already  waiting  for  us.  Now, 
I  shall  no  longer  weep  and  mourn  over  this  day,  for  it  has  given  to 
me  a  friend,  a  brother !" 

She  took  his  arm  and  went  with  him  to  the  parlor.  A  gentle 
smile  was  playing  on  her  lips  when  the  door  was  opened  and  they 
entered.  With  an  air  of  quiet  content  she  looked  at  her  sisters,  who 
were  standing  by  the  side  of  their  betrothed,  and  had  been  waiting 
for  her  with  trembling  impatience. 

"  There  is  no  hope  left, "  murmured  Lydia ;  "  she  accepts  her  fate, 
too,  and  submits. " 

"  She  follows  my  example, "  thought  Esther  ;  "  she  consoles  her- 
self with  her  wealth  and  brilliant  position  in  society.  Indeed,  there 
is  no  better  consolation  than  that. " 

At  that  moment  the  door  opened,  and  the  rabbi  in  his  black  robe, 
a  skull-cap  on  his  head,  appeared  on  the  threshold,  followed  by  the 
precentor  and  sexton.  Solemn  silence  ensued,  and  all  heads  were 
lowered  in  prayer  while  the  rabbi  was  crossing  the  room  in  order  to 
salute  the  parents  of  the  brides. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MARIANNE  MEIER. 

AT  that  moment  of  silent  devotion,  no  one  took  any  notice  of  a 
lady  who  crossed  the  threshold  a  few  seconds  after  the  rabbi  had 
entered.  She  was  a  tall,  superb  creature  of  wonderful  beauty.  Her 
black  hair,  her  glowing  eyes,  her  finely-curved  nose,  the  whole 
shape  of  her  face  imparted  to  her  some  resemblance  to  Fanny  Itzig, 
the  banker's  beautiful  daughter,  and  indicated  that  she  belonged 
likewise  to  the  people  who,  scattered  over  the  whole  world,  have 
with  unshaken  fidelity  and  constancy  preserved  everywhere  their 
type  and  habits.  And  yet,  upon  examining  the  charming  stranger 
somewhat  more  closely,  it  became  evident  that  she  bore  no  resem- 
blance either  to  Fanny  or  to  her  sisters.  Hers  was  a  strange  and 
peculiar  style  of  beauty,  irresistibly  attractive  and  chilling  at  the 
Same  time — a  tall,  queenly  figure,  wrapped  in  a  purple  velvet  dress, 


110  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

fastened  under  her  bosom  by  a  golden  sash.  Her  shoulders,  dazzling 
white,  and  of  a  truly  classical  shape,  were  bare  ;  her  short  ermine 
mantilla  had  slipped  from  them  and  hung  gracefully  on  her  beauti- 
ful, well-rounded  arms,  on  which  magnificent  diamond  bracelets 
were  glittering.  Her  black  hair  fell  down  in  long,  luxuriant  ring- 
lets on  both  sides  of  her  transparent,  pale  cheeks,  and  was  fastened 
in  a  knot  by  means  of  several  large  diamond  pins.  A  diamond  of 
the  most  precious  brilliants  crowned  her  high  and  thoughtful  fore- 
head. 

She  looked  as  proud  and  glorious  as  a  queen,  and  there  was  some- 
thing haughty,  imperious,  and  cold  in  the  glance  with  which  she 
now  slowly  and  searchingly  surveyed  the  large  room. 

"  Tell  me, "  whispered  Baron  Arnstein,  bending  over  Fanny  Itzig, 
"  who  is  the  beautiful  lady  now  standing  near  the  door  ?" 

"Oh  !"  exclaimed  Fanny,  joyfully,  "she  has  come  after  all.  "We 
scarcely  dared  to  hope  for  her  arrival.  It  is  Marianne  Meier. " 

"What!  Marianne  Meier?"  asked  Baron  Arntsein.  "The  cele- 
brated beauty  whom  Goethe  has  loved — for  whom  the  Swedish  am- 
bassador at  Berlin,  Baron  Bernstein,  has  entertained  so  glowing  a 
passion,  and  suffered  so  much — and  who  is  now  the  mistress  of  the 
Austrian  minister,  the  Prince  von  Reuss?" 

"Hush,  for  Heaven's  sake,  hush!"  whispered  Fanny.  "She  is 
coming  toward  us. " 

And  Fanny  went  to  meet  the  beautiful  lady.  Marianne  gently 
inclined  her  head  and  kissed  Fanny  with  the  dignified  bearing  of  a 
queen. 

"I  have  come  to  congratulate  you  and  your  sisters,"  she  said,  in 
a  sonorous,  magnificent  alto  voice.  "  I  wanted  to  see  how  beautiful 
you  looked,  and  whether  your  betrothed  was  worthy  of  possessing 
you  or  not. " 

Fanny  turned  round  to  beckon  Baron  Arnstein  to  join  them,  but 
he  had  just  left  with  the  rabbi  and  the  other  officers  of  the  synagogue. 

The  ladies  were  now  alone,  for  the  ceremony  was  about  to  begin. 
And  now  the  women  entered,  whose  duty  it  was  to  raise  loud  lamen- 
tations and  weep  over  the  fate  of  the  brides  who  were  about  to  leave 
the  parental  roof  and  to  follow  their  husbands.  They  spread  costly 
carpets  at  the  feet  of  the  brides,  who  were  sitting  on  arm-chairs 
among  the  assembled  ladies,  and  strewing  flowers  on  these  carpets, 
they  muttered,  sobbing  and  weepnig,  ancient  Hebrew  hymns.  The 
mother  stood  behind  them  with  trembling  lips,  and,  raising  her 
tearful  eyes  toward  heaven.  The  door  was  opened,  and  the  sexton 
in  a  long  robe,  his  white  beard  flowing  down  on  his  breast,  appeared, 
carrying  in  his  hand  a  white  cushion  with  three  splendid  lace  veils. 
He  was  followed  by  Mr.  Itzig,  the  father  of  the  three  brides.  Tak- 


MARIANNE  MEIER.  Ill 

ing  the  veils  from  the  cushion,  and  muttering  prayers  all  the  \vhile, 
he  laid  them  on  the  heads  of  his  daughters  so  that  their  faces  and 
bodies  seemed  to  be  surrounded  by  a  thin  and  airy  mist.  And  the 
mourning- worn  en  sobbed,  and  two  tears  rolled  over  the  pale  cheeks 
of  the  deeply-moved  mother.  The  two  men  withdrew  silently,  and 
the  ladies  were  alone  again. 

But  now,  in  the  distance,  the  heart- stirring  sounds  of  a  choir  of 
sweet,  sonorous  children's  voices  were  heard.  How  charming  did 
these  voices  reecho  through  the  room  1  They  seemed  to  call  the 
brides,  and,  as  if  fascinated  by  the  inspiring  melody,  they  slowly 
rose  from  their  seats.  Their  mother  approached  the  eldest  sister 
and  offered  her  hand  to  her.  Two  of  the  eldest  ladies  took  the 
hands  of  the  younger  sisters.  The  other  ladies  and  the  mourning- 
women  formed  in  pairs  behind  them,  and  then  the  procession  com- 
menced moving  in  the  direction  of  the  inviting  notes  of  the  anthem. 
Thus  they  crossed  the  rooms — nearer  and  nearer  came  the  music — 
and  finally,  on  passing  through  the  last  door,  the  ladies  stepped  into 
a  long  hall,  beautifully  decorated  with  flowers  and  covered  with  a 
glass  roof  through  which  appeared  the  deep,  transparent  azure  of 
the  wintry  sky.  In  the  centre  of  this  hall  there  arose  a  purple 
canopy  with  golden  tassels.  The  rabbi,  praying  and  with  uplifted 
hands,  /was  standing  under  it  with  the  three  bridegrooms.  The  choir 
of  the  singers,  hidden  behind  flowers  and  orange-trees,  grew  louder 
and  louder,  and  to  this  jubilant  music  the  ladies  conducted  the 
brides  to  the  canopy,  and  the  ceremony  commenced. 

When  it  was  concluded,  when  the  veils  were  removed  from  the 
heads  of  the  brides  so  that  they  could  now  look  freely  into  the  world, 
the  whole  party  returned  to  the  parlor,  and  brides  and  bridegrooms 
received  the  congratulations  of  their  friends. 

Fanny  and  Marianne  Meier  were  chatting  in  a  bay-window  at 
some  distance  from  the  rest  of  the  company.  They  were  standing 
there,  arm  in  arm — Fanny  in  her  white  bridal  costume,  like  a  radi- 
ant lily,  and  Marianne  in  her  purple  dress,  resembling  the  peerless 
queen  of  flowers. 

"You  are  going  to  leave  Berlin  to-day  with  your  husband?"  asked 
Marianne. 

"We  leave  in  an  hour, "  said  Fanny,  sighing. 

Marianne  had  heard  this  sigh.  "  Do  you  love  your  husband?"  she 
asked,  hastily. 

"  I  have  seen  him  only  twice, "  whispered  Fanny. 

A  sarcastic  smile  played  on  Marianne's  lips.  "Then  they  have 
simply  sold  you  to  him  like  a  slave-girl  to  a  wealthy  planter, "  she 
said.  "  It  was  a  mere  bargain  and  sale,  and  still  you  boast  of  it,  and 
pass  your  disgusting  trade  in  human  hearts  for  virtue,  and  believe 


112  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

you  have  a  right  to  look  proudly  and  contemptuously  down  upon 
those  who  refuse  to  be  sold  like  goods,  and  who  prefer  to  give  away 
their  love  to  being  desecrated  without  love. " 

"  I  do  not  boast  of  having  married  without  love, "  said  Fanny, 
gently.  "  Oh,  I  should  willingly  give  up  wealth  and  splendor — I 
should  be  quite  ready  to  live  in  poverty  and  obscurity  with  a  man 
whom  I  loved. " 

"But  first  the  old  rabbi  would  have  to  consecrate  your  union  with 
such  a  man,  I  suppose? — otherwise  you  would  not  follow  him,  not- 
withstanding your  love?"  asked  Marianne. 

"Yes,  Marianne,  that  would  be  indispensable,"  said  Fanny, 
gravely,  firmly  fixing  her  large  eyes  upon  her  friend.  "  No  woman 
should  defy  the  moral  laws  of  the  world,  or  if  she  does,  she  will 
always  suffer  for  it.  If  I  loved  and  could  not  possess  the  man  of  my 
choice,  if  I  could  not  belong  to  him  as  his  wedded  wife,  I  should 
give  him  up.  The  grief  would  kill  me,  perhaps,  but  I  should  die 
with  the  consolation  of  having  remained  faithful  to  virtue — " 

"And  of  having  proved  false  to  love!"  exclaimed  Marianne, 
scornfully.  "  Phrases  !  Nothing  but  phrases  learned  by  heart,  my 
child,  but  the  world  boasts  of  such  phrases,  and  calls  such  senti- 
ments moral !  Oh,  hush  I  hush !  I  know  what  you  are  going  to 
say,  and  how  you  wish  to  admonish  me.  I  heard  very  well  how 
contemptuously  your  husband  called  me  the  mistress  of  the  Prince 
von  Reuss.  Don't  excuse  him,  and  don't  deny  it,  for  I  have  heard 
it.  I  might  reply  to  it  what  Madame  de  Balbi  said  the  other  day 
upon  being  upbraided  with  being  the  mistress  of  the  Royal  Prince 
d' Artois  :  '  Le  sang  des  princes  ne  souille  pas  !  '  But  I  do  not  want  to 
excuse  myself  ;  on  the  contrary,  all  of  you  shall  some  day  apologize 
to  me.  For  I  tell  you,  Fanny,  I  am  pursuing  my  own  path  aud 
have  a  peculiar  aim  steadfastly  in  view.  Oh,  it  is  a  great,  a  glori- 
ous aim.  I  want  to  see  the  whole  world  at  my  feet ;  all  those  ridicu- 
lous prejudices  of  birth,  rank,  and  virtue  shall  bow  to  the  Jewess, 
and  the  Jewess  shall  become  the  peer  of  the  most  distinguished  rep- 
resentatives of  society.  See,  Fanny,  that  is  my  plan  and  my  aim, 
and  it  is  yours  too ;  we  are  only  pursuing  it  in  different  ways — you, 
by  the  side  of  a  man  whose  wife  you  are,  and  to  whom  you  have 
pledged  at  the  altar  love  and  fidelity  without  feeling  them ;  I,  by 
the  side  of  a  man  whose  friend  I  am — to  whom,  it  is  true,  I  have 
not  pledged  at  the  altar  love  and  fidelity,  but  whom  I  shall  faith- 
fully love  because  I  have  given  my  heart  to  him.  Let  God  decide 
whose  is  the  true  morality.  The  world  is  on  your  side  and  con- 
demns me,  but  some  day  I  shall  hurl  back  into  its  teeth  all  its  con- 
tempt and  scorn,  and  I  shall  compel  it  to  bow  most  humbly  to  me. " 

"  And  whosoever  sees  you  in  your  proud,  radiant  beauty,  must 


•      MARIANNE  MEIER.  113 

feel  that  you  will  succeed  in  accomplishing  what  you  are  going  to 
undertake, "  said  Fanny,  bending  an  admiring  glance  on  the  glorious 
creature  by  her  side. 

Marianne  nodded  gratefully.  "  Let  us  pursue  our  aim, "  she  said, 
"for  it  is  one  and  the  same.  Both  of  us  have  a  mission  to  fulfil, 
Fanny  ;  we  have  to  avenge  the  Jewess  upon  the  pride  of  the  Chris- 
tian women  ;  we  have  to  prove  to  them  that  we  are  their  equals  in 
every  respect,  that  we  are  perhaps  better,  more  accomplished,  and 
talented  than  all  of  those  haughty  Christian  women.  How  often 
did  they  neglect  and  insult  us  in  society !  How  often  did  they 
offensively  try  to  eclipse  us !  How  often  did  they  vex  us  by  their 
scorn  and  insolent  bearing !  We  will  pay  it  all  back  to  them ;  we 
will  scourge  them  with  the  scourges  with  which  they  have  scourged 
us,  and  compel  them  to  bow  to  us  !" 

"  They  shall  at  least  consider  and  treat  us  as  their  equals, "  said 
Fanny,  gravely.  "  I  am  not  longing  for  revenge,  but  I  want  to  hold 
my  place  in  society,  and  to  prove  to  them  that  I  am  just  as  well-bred 
and  aristocratic  a  lady,  and  have  an  equal,  nay,  a  better  right  to 
call  myself  a  representative  of  true  nobility ;  for  ours  is  a  more 
ancient  nobility  than  that  of  all  these  Christian  aristocrats,  and  we 
can  count  our  ancestors  farther  back  into  the  most  remote  ages  than 
they — our  fathers,  the  proud  Levites,  having  been  high-priests  in 
Solomon's  temple,  and  the  people  having  treated  them  as  noblemen 
even  at  that  time.  We  will  remind  the  Christian  ladies  of  this 
whenever  they  talk  to  us  about  their  own  ancestors,  who,  at  best, 
only  date  back  to  the  middle  ages  or  to  Charlemagne. " 

"  That  is  right.  I  like  to  hear  you  talk  in  this  strain, "  exclaimed 
Marianne,  joyfully.  "  I  see  you  \vill  represent  us  in  Vienna  in  a 
noble  and  proud  manner,  and  be  an  honor  to  the  Jews  of  Berlin. 
Oh,  I  am  so  glad,  Fanny,  and  I  shall  always  love  you  for  it.  And 
do  not  forget  me  either.  If  it  pleases  God,  I  shall  some  day  come 
to  Vienna,  and  play  there  a  brilliant  part.  However,  we  shall  never 
be  rivals,  but  always  friends.  Will  you  promise  it?" 

"  I  promise  it, "  said  Fanny,  giving  her  soft  white  hand  to  her 
friend.  Marianne  pressed  it  warmly. 

"  I  accept  your  promise  and  shall  remind  you  of  it  some  day, "  she 
said.  "But  now  farewell,  Fanny,  for  I  see  your  young  husband 
yonder,  wno  would  like  to  speak  to  you,  and  yet  does  not  come  to 
us  for  fear  of  coming  in  contact  with  the  mistress  of  the  Prince  von 
Reuss.  God  bless  and  protect  his  virtue,  that  stands  in  such  nervous 
fear  of  being  infected !  Farewell ;  don't  forget  our  oath,  and  re- 
member me. " 

She  tenderly  embraced  her  friend  and  imprinted  a  glowing  kiss 
upon  her  forehead,  and  then  quickly  turning  around,  walked  across 


114  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

the  room.  All  eyes  followed  the  tall,  proud  lady  with  admiring 
glances,  and  some  whispered,  " How  beautif ul  she  is!  How  proud, 
how  glorious  !"  She  took  no  notice,  however ;  she  had  so  often  re- 
ceived the  homage  of  these  whispers,  that  they  could  no  longer 
gladden  her  heart.  Without  saluting  any  one,  her  head  proudly 
erect,  she  crossed  the  room,  drawing  her  ermine  mantilla  closely 
around  her  shoulders,  and  deeming  every  thing  around  her  unworthy 
of  notice. 

In  the  anteroom  a  footman  in  gorgeous  livery  was  waiting  for 
her.  He  hastened  down-stairs  before  her,  opened  the  street  door, 
and  rushed  out  in  order  to  find  his  mistress's  carriage  among  the 
vast  number  of  coaches  encumbering  both  sides  of  the  street,  and 
then  bring  it  to  the  door. 

Marianne  stood  waiting  in  the  door,  stared  at  by  the  inquisitive 
eyes  of  the  large  crowd  that  had  gathered  in  front  of  the  house  to 
see  the  guests  of  the  wealthy  banker  Itzig  upon  their  departure  from 
the  wedding. 

Marianne  paid  no  attention  whatever  to  these  bystanders.  Her 
large  black  eyes  swept  over  all  those  faces  before  her  with  an  air  of 
utter  indifference ;  she  took  no  interest  in  any  one  of  them,  and 
their  impertinent  glances  made  apparently  no  impression  upon  her. 

But  the  crowd  took  umbrage  at  her  queenly  indifference. 

"Just  see,"  the  bystanders  whispered  here  and  there,  "just  see 
the  proud  Jewess  !  How  she  stares  at  us,  as  if  we  were  nothing  but 
thin  air !  What  splendid  diamonds  she  has  got !  Wonder  if  she 
is  indebted  for  them  to  her  father's  usury?" 

On  hearing  this  question,  that  was  uttered  by  an  old  woman  in 
rags,  the  whole  crowd  laughed  uproariously.  Marianne  even  then 
took  no  notice.  She  only  thought  that  her  carriage  was  a  good 
while  coming  up,  and  the  supposed  slowness  of  her  footman  was  the 
sole  cause  of  the  frown  which  now  commenced  clouding  her  brow. 
When  the  crowd  ceased  laughing,  a  woman,  a  Jewess,  in  a  dirty 
and  ragged  dress,  stepped  forth  and  placed  herself  close  to  Marianne. 

"You  think  she  is  indebted  to  her  father  for  those  diamonds J" 
she  yelled.  "No,  I  know  better,  and  can  tell  you  all  about  it.  Her 
father  was  a  good  friend  of  mine,  and  frequently  traded  with  me 
when  he  was  still  a  poor,  peddling  Jew.  He  afterward  made  a  great 
deal  of  money,  while  I  grew  very  poor ;  but  he  never  bought  her 
those  diamonds.  Just  listen  to  me,  and  I  will  tell  you  what  sort  of 
a  woman  she  is  who  now  looks  down  on  us  with  such  a  haughty  air. 
She  is  the  Jewess  Marianne  Meier,  the  mistress  of  the  old  Prince 
von  Reuss  1" 

"Ah,  a  mistress!"  shouted  the  crowd,  sneeringly.  "And  she  is 
looking  at  us  as  though  she  were  a  queen.  She  wears  diamonds  in 


MARIANNE  MEIER.  115 

her  hair,  and  wants  to  hide  her  shame  by  dressing  in  purple  velvet. 
She—" 

At  that  moment  the  carriage  rolled  up  to  the  door  ;  the  footman 
obsequiously  opened  the  coach  door  and  hastened  to  push  back  the 
crowd  in  order  to  enable  Marianne  to  walk  over  the  carpet  spread 
out  on  the  sidewalk  to  her  carriage. 

"We  won't  be  driven  back  1"  roared  the  crowd ;  "we  want  to  see 
the  beautiful  mistress — we  want  to  see  her  close  by. " 

And  laughing,  shouting,  and  jeering,  the  bystanders  crowded 
closely  around  Marianne.  She  walked  past  them,  proud  and  erect, 
and  did  not  seem  to  hear  the  insulting  remarks  that  were  being 
levelled  at  her.  Only  her  cheeks  had  turned  even  paler  than  before, 
and  her  lips  were  quivering  a  little. 

Now  she  had  reached  her  carriage  and  entered.  The  footman 
closed  the  door,  but  the  mob  still  crowded  around  the  carriage,  and 
looked  through  the  glass  windows,  shouting,  "  Look  at  her  !  look  at 
her !  What  a  splendid  mistress  she  is !  Hurrah  for  her !  Long 
live  the  mistress !" 

The  coachman  whipped  the  horses,  and  the  carriage  commenced 
moving,  but  it  could  make  but  little  headway,  the  jeering  crowd 
rolling  along  with  it  like  a  huge  black  wave,  and  trying  to  keep  it 
back  at  every  step. 

Marianne  sat  proudly  erect  in  her  carriage,  staring  at  the  mob 
with  flaming  and  disdainful  eyes.  Not  a  tear  moistened  her  eyes  ; 
not  a  word,  not  a  cry  issued  from  her  firmly- compressed  lips.  Even 
when  her  carriage,  turning  around  the  corner,  gained  at  last  a  free 
field  and  sped  away  with  thundering  noise,  there  was  no  change 
whatever  in  her  attitude,  or  in  the  expression  of  her  countenance. 
She  soon  reached  the  embassy  buildings.  The  carriage  stopped  in 
front  of  the  vestibule,  and  the  footman  opened  the  coach  door. 
Marianne  alighted  and  walked  slowly  and  proudly  to  the  staircase. 
The  footman  hastened  after  her,  and  when  she  had  just  reached  the 
first  landing-place  he  stood  behind  her  and  whispered  : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  madame ;  I  was  really  entirely  innocent. 
Your  carriage  being  the  last  to  arrive,  it  had  to  take  the  hindmost 
place ;  that  was  the  reason  why  it  took  us  so  long  to  get  it  to  the 
door.  I  beg  your  pardon,  madame. " 

Marianne  only  turned  to  him  for  a  moment,  bending  a  single 
contemptuous  glance  upon  him,  and  then,  without  uttering  a  word, 
continued  ascending  the  staircase. 

The  footman  paused  anfl  looked  after  the  proud  lady,  whispering 
with  a  sigh — 

"She  will  discharge  me — she  never  forgives  !" 

Marianne  had  now  reached  the  upper  story,  and  walked  down 
MUHLBACH — F  VOL.  7 


116  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

the  corridor  as  slowly  and  as  proudly  as  ever.  Her  valet  stood  at 
the  door,  receiving  her  with  a  profound  bow,  while  opening  the 
folding  door.  She  crossed  gravely  and  silently  the  long  suite  of 
rooms  now  opening  before  her,  and  finally  entered  her  dressing- 
room.  Her  two  lady's  maids  were  waiting  for  her  here  in  order  to 
assist  her  in  putting  on  a  more  comfortable  dress. 

When  they  approached  their  mistress,  she  made  an  imperious, 
repelling  gesture. 

"  Begone  !"  she  said,  "  begone !" 

That  was  all  she  said,  but  it  sounded  like  a  scream  of  rage  and 
pain,  and  the  lady's  maids  hastened  to  obey,  or  rather  to  escape. 
When  the  door  had  closed  behind  them,  Marianne  rushed  toward  it 
and  locked  it,  and  drew  the  heavy  curtain  over  it. 

Now  she  was  alone — now  nobody  could  see  her,  nobody  could 
hear  her.  With  a  wild  cry  she  raised  her  beautiful  arms,  tore  the 
splendid  diadem  of  brilliants  from  her  hair,  and  hurled  it  upon  the 
floor.  She  then  with  trembling  hands  loosened  the  golden  sash  from 
her  tapering  waist,  and  the  diamond  pins  from  her  hair,  and  threw 
all  these  precious  trinkets  disdainfully  upon  the  floor.  And  now 
with  her  small  feet,  with  her  embroidered  silken  shoes,  she  furiously 
stamped  on  them  with  flaming  eyes,  and  in  her  paroxysm  of  anger 
slightly  opening  her  lips,  so  as  to  show  her  two  rows  of  peerless 
teeth  which  she  held  firmly  pressed  together. 

Her  fine  hair,  no  longer  fastened  by  the  diamond  pins,  had  fallen 
down,  and  was  now  floating  around  her  form  like  a  black  veil,  and 
closely  covered  her  purple  dress.  Thus  she  looked  like  a  goddess  of 
vengeance,  so  beautiful,  so  proud,  so  glorious  and  terrible — her 
small  hands  raised  toward  heaven,  and  her  feet  crushing  the  jewelry. 

"Insulted,  scorned!"  she  murmured.  "The  meanest  woman  on 
the  street  believes  she  has  a  right  to  despise  me — me,  the  celebrated 
Marianne  Meier — me,  at  whose  feet  counts  and  princes  have  sighed 
in  vain !  And  who  am  I,  then,  that  they  should  dare  to  despise  me?" 

She  asked  this  question  with  a  defiant,  burning  glance  toward 
heaven,  but  all  at  once  she  commenced  trembling,  and  hung  her 
head  humbly  and  mournfully. 

"  I  am  a  disgraced  woman, "  she  whispered.  "  Diamonds  and  vel- 
vet do  not  hide  my  shame.  I  am  the  prince's  mistress.  That's  all ! 

"  But  it  shall  be  so  no  longer  !"  she  exclaimed,  suddenly.  "  I  will 
put  a  stop  to  it.  I  must  put  a  stop  to  it !  This  hour  has  decided  my 
destiny  and  broken  my  stubbornness.  I  thought  I  could  defy  the 
world  in  my  way.  I  believed  I  could  laugh  at  its  prejudices  ;  but 
the  world  is  stronger  than  I,  and  therefore  I  have  to  submit,  and 
shall  hereafter  defy  it  in  its  own  way.  And  I  shall  do  so  most 
assuredly.  I  shall  do  BO  on  the  spot. " 


MARIANNE   MEIER.  117 

Without  reflecting  any  further,  she  left  her  chamber  and  hastened 
once  more  through  the  rooms.  Her  hair  now  was  waving  wildly 
around  her  shoulders,  and  her  purple  dress,  no  longer  held  together 
by  the  golden  sash,  was  floating  loosely  around  her  form. 

She  took  no  notice  whatever  of  her  dishabille;  only  one  idea,  only 
one  purpose  filled  her  heart. 

In  breathless  haste  she  hurried  on,  and  now  quickly  opened  a  last 
door,  through  which  she  entered  a  room  furnished  in  the  most 
sumptuous  and  comfortable  manner. 

At  her  appearance,  so  sudden,  and  evidently  unexpected,  the 
elderly  gentleman,  who  had  reposed  on  the  silken  sofa,  arose  and 
turned  around  with  a  gesture  of  displeasure. 

On  recognizing  Marianne,  however,  a  smile  overspread  his  fea- 
tures, and  he  went  to  meet  her  with  a  pleasant  greeting. 

"Back  already,  dearest?"  he  said,  extending  his  hand  toward 
her. 

"  Yes,  your  highness — I  am  back  already, "  she  said  drily  and 
coldly. 

The  gentleman  upon  whose  features  the  traces  of  a  life  of  dissi- 
pation were  plainly  visible,  fixed  his  eyes  with  an  anxious  air  upon 
the  beautiful  lady.  He  only  now  noticed  her  angry  mien  and  the 
strange  dislidbille  in  which  she  appeared  before  him. 

"Good  Heaven,  Marianne  !"  he  asked,  sharply,  "what  is  the  cause 
of  your  agitation,  of  your  coldness  toward  me?  What  has  happened 
to  you?" 

"What  has  happened  to  me?  The  most  infamous  insults  have 
been  heaped  upon  my  head  !"  she  exclaimed  with  quivering  lips,  an 
angry  blush  suffusing  her  cheeks.  "  For  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  nay, 
for  an  eternity,  I  was  the  target  of  the  jeers,  the  contempt, '  and  the 
scorn  of  the  rabble  that  publicly  abused  me  in  the  most  disgraceful 
manner !" 

"Tell  me,"  exclaimed  the  old  gentleman,  "what  has  occurred, 
and  whose  fault  it  was  !" 

"  Whose  fault  it  was?"  she  asked,  bending  a  piercing  glance  upon 
him.  "  Yours,  my  prince ;  you  alone  are  to  blame  for  my  terrible 
disgrace  and  humiliation.  For  your  sake  the  rabble  has  reviled  me, 
called  me  your  mistress,  and  laughed  at  my  diamonds  ;  calling  them 
the  reward  of  my  shame  !  Oh,  how  many  insults,  how  many  mor- 
tifications have  I  not  already  suffered  for  your  sake — with  how  many 
bloody  tears  have  I  not  cursed  this  love  which  attaches  me  to  you, 
and  which  I  was  nevertheless  unable  to  tear  from  my  heart,  for  it 
is  stronger  than  myself.  But  now  the  cup  of  bitterness  is  full  to 
overflowing.  My  pride  cannot  bear  so  much  contumely  and  scorn. 
Farewell,  niy  prince,  my  beloved !  I  must  leave  you.  I  cannot  stay 


118  LOUISA    OF   PRUSSIA. 

with  you  any  longer.  Shame  would  kill  me.  Farewell !  Hereafter, 
no  one  shall  dare  to  call  me  a  mistress. " 

With  a  last  glowing  farewell,  she  turned  to  the  door,  but  the 
prince  kept  her  back.  "  Marianne, "  he  asked,  tenderly,  "  do  you  not 
know  that  I  love  you,  and  that  I  cannot  live  without  you?" 

She  looked  at  him  with  a  fascinating  smile.  "And  I?"  she 
asked,  "far  from  you,  shall  die  of  a  broken  heart ;  with  you,  I  shall 
die  of  shame.  I  prefer  the  former.  Farewell !  No  one  shall  ever 
dare  again  to  call  me  by  that  name. "  And  her  hand  touched  already 
the  door-knob. 

The  prince  encircled  her  waist  with  his  arms  and  drew  her  back. 

"I  shall  not  let  you  go,"  he  said,  ardently.  "You  are  mine,  and 
shall  remain  so !  Oh,  why  are  you  so  proud  and  so  cold?  Why  will 
you  not  sacrifice  your  faith  to  our  love  ?  Why  do  you  insist  upon 
remaining  a  Jewess?" 

"Your  highness,"  she  said,  leaning  her  head  on  his  shoulder, 
"why  do  you  want  me  to  become  a  Christian?" 

"Why?"  he  exclaimed.  "Because  my  religion  and  the  laws  of 
my  country  prevent  me  from  marrying  r«  Jewess." 

"  And  if  I  should  sacrifice  to  you  the  last  that  has  remained  to 
me?"  she  whispered — "my  conscience  and  my  religion." 

"  Marianne, "  he  exclaimed,  solemnly,  "  I  repeat  to  you  what  I 
have  told  you  so  often  already :  'Become  a  Christian  in  order  to  be- 
come my  wife. '  " 

She  encircled  his  neck  impetuously  with  her  arms  and  clung  to 
him  with  a  passionate  outburst  of  tenderness.  "  I  will  become  a, 
Christian !"  she  whispered. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

LOVE   AND  POLITICS. 

"  AT  last !  at  last !"  exclaimed  Gentz,  in  a  tone  of  fervid  tender- 
ness, approaching  Marianne,  who  went  to  meet  him  with  a  winning 
smile.  "  Do  you  know,  dearest,  that  you  have  driven  me  to  despair 
for  a  whole  week  ?  Not  a  word,  not  a  message  from  you  !  When- 
ever I  came  to  see  you,  I  was  turned  away.  Always  the  same  terri- 
ble reply,  'Madame  is  not  at  home,'  while  I  felt  your  nearness  in 
every  nerve  and  vein  of  mine,  and  while  my  throbbing  heart  was 
under  the  magic  influence  of  your  presence.  And  then  to  be  turned 
away !  No  reply  whatever  to  my  letters,  to  my  ardent  prayers  to 
see  you  only  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. " 

"Oh,  you  ungrateful  man  !"  she  said,  smiling,  "did  I  not  send  for 
you  to-day?  Did  I  not  give  you  this  rendezvous  quite  voluntarily?" 


LOVE  AND  POLITICS.  119 

"  You  knew  very  well  that  I  should  have  died  if  your  heart  had 
not  softened  at  last.  Oh,  heavenly  Marianne,  what  follies  despair 
made  me  commit  already !  In  order  to  forget  you,  I  plunged  into 
all  sorts  of  pleasures,  I  commenced  new  works,  I  entered  upon  fresh 
love-affairs.  But  it  was  all  in  vain.  Amidst  those  pleasures  I  was 
sad ;  during  my  working  hours  my  mind  was  wandering,  and  in 
order  to  impart  a  semblance  of  truth  and  tenderness  to  my  protesta- 
tions of  love,  I  had  to  close  my  eyes  and  imagine  you  were  the  lady 
whom  I  was  addressing. " 

"And  then  you  were  successful?"  asked  Marianne,  smiling. 

"  Yes,  then  I  was  successful, "  he  said,  gravely ;  "  but  my  new 
lady-love,  the  beloved  of  my  distraction  and  despair,  did  not  suspect 
that  I  only  embraced  her  so  tenderly  because  I  kissed  in  her  the  be- 
loved of  my  heart  and  of  my  enthusiasm. " 

"  And  who  was  the  lady  whom  you  call  the  beloved  of  your  dis- 
traction and  despair?"  asked  Marianne. 

"Ah,  Marianne,  you  ask  me  to  betray  a  woman?" 

"  No,  no  ;  I  am  glad  to  perceive  that  you  are  a  discreet  cavalier. 
You  shall  betray  no  woman.  I  will  tell  you  her  name.  The  be- 
loved of  your  distraction  and  despair  was  the  most  beautiful  and 
charming  lady  in  Berlin — it  was  the  actress  Christel  Enghaus.  Let 
me  compliment  you,  my  friend,  on  having  triumphed  with  that 
belle  over  all  those  sentimental,  lovesick  princes,  counts,  and  barons. 
Indeed,  you  have  improved  your  week  of  'distraction  and  despair' 
in  the  most  admirable  manner. " 

"  Still,  Marianne,  I  repeat  to  you,  she  was  merely  my  sweetheart 
for  the  time  being,  and  I  merely  plunged  into  this  adventure  in 
order  to  forget  you. " 

"Then  you  love  me  really?"  asked  Marianne. 

"  Marianne,  I  adore  you !  You  know  it.  Oh,  now  I  may  tell 
you  so.  Heretofore  you  repelled  me  and  would  not  listen  to  my 
protestations  of  love  because  I  was  a  married  man.  Now,  how- 
ever, I  have  got  rid  of  my  ignominious  fetters,  Marianne ;  now 
I  am  no  longer  a  married  man.  I  am  free,  and  all  the  women  in 
the  world  are  at  liberty  to  love  me.  I  am  as  free  as  a  bird  in  the 
air !" 

"And  like  a  bird  you  want  to  flit  from  one  heart  to  another?" 

"No,  most  beautiful,  most  glorious  Marianne  ;  your  heart  shall  be 
the  cage  in  which  I  shall  imprison  myself. " 

"  Beware,  my  friend.  What  would  you  say  if  there  was  no  door 
In  this  cage  through  which  you  might  escape  ?" 

"  Oh,  if  it  had  a  door,  I  should  curse  it. " 

"  Then  you  love  me  so  boundlessly  as  to  be  ready  to  sacrifice  to  me 
the  liberty  you  have  scarcely  regained?" 


120  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"Can  you  doubt  it,  Marianne?"  asked  Gentz,  tenderly  pressing  her 
beautiful  hands  to  his  lips. 

"Are  you  in  earnest,  my  friend?"  she  said,  smiling.  "So  you 
offer  your  hand  to  me?  You  want  to  marry  me?" 

Gentz  started  back,  and  looked  at  her  with  a  surprised  and 
frightened  air.  Marianne  laughed  merrily. 

"  Ah !"  she  said,  "  your  face  is  the  most  wonderful  illustration  of 
Goethe's  poem.  You  know  it,  don't  you?"  And  she  recited  with 
ludicrous  pathos  the  following  two  lines  : 

" '  Heirathen,  Kind,  ist  wunderlich  Wort, 
Hor'  ich's,  mocht'  ich  gleich  wieder  fort. ' 

"  Good  Heaven,  what  a  profound  knowledge  of  human  nature  our 
great  Goethe  has  got,  and  how  proud  I  am  to  be  allowed  to  call  him 
a  friend  of  mine — Heirathen,  Kind,  ist  unmderlich  Wort. " 

"  Marianne,  you  are  cruel  and  unjust,  you — " 

"And  you  know  the  next  two  lines  of  the  poem?"  she  interrupted 
him.  "  The  maiden  replied  to  him  : 

"'  Heirathen  wir  eben, 

Das  Ubrige  wird  sich  geben. '  " 

"You  mock  me,"  exclaimed  Gentz,  smiling,  "and  yet  you  know 
the  maiden's  assurance  would  not  prove  true  in  our  case,  and  that 
there  is  something  rendering  such  a  happiness,  the  prospect  of  call- 
ing you  my  wife,  an  utter  impossibility.  Unfortunately,  you  are  no 
Christian,  Marianne.  Hence  I  cannot  marry  you. "  * 

"And  if  I  were  a  Christian?"  she  asked  in  a  sweet,  enchanting 
voice. 

He  fixed  his  eyes  with  a  searching  glance  upon  her  smiling, 
charming  face. 

"What!"  he  asked,  in  evident  embarrassment.  "If  you  were  a 
Christian?  What  do  you  mean,  Marianne?" 

"  I  mean,  Frederick,  that  I  have  given  the  highest  proof  of  my 
love  to  the  man  who  loves  me  so  ardently,  constantly,  and  faithfully. 
For  his  sake  I  have  become  a  Christian.  Yesterday  I  was  baptized. 
Now,  my  friend,  I  ask  you  once  more,  I  ask  you  as  a  Christian 
woman :  Gentz,  will  you  marry  me  ?  Answer  me  honestly  and 
frankly,  my  friend  !  Remember  that  it  is  '  the  beloved  of  your  heart 
and  of  your  enthusiasm, '  as  you  called  me  yourself  a  few  moments 
ago,  who  now  stands  before  you  and  asks  for  a  reply.  Remember 
that  this  moment  will  be  decisive  for  our  future — speedily,  nay, 
immediately  decisive.  For  you  see  I  have  removed  all  obstacles. 

*  Marriages  between  Christians  and  Jews  were  prohibited  in  the  German  states 
at  that  period. 


LOVE  AND  POLITICS.  121 

I  have  become  a  Christian,  and  I  tell  you  I  am  ready  to  become  your 
wife  in  the  course  of  the  present  hour.  Once  more,  then,  Gentz, 
will  you  marry  me  ?" 

He  had  risen  and  paced  the  room  in  great  excitement.  Marianne 
followed  him  with  a  lurking  glance  and  a  scornful  smile,  but  when 
he  now  stepped  back  to  her,  she  quickly  assumed  her  serious  air. 

"  Marianne, "  he  said,  firmly,  "  you  want  to  know  the  truth,  and 
I  love  you  too  tenderly  to  conceal  it  from  you.  I  will  not,  must  not, 
cannot  marry  you.  I  will  not,  because  I  am  unable  to  bear  once 
more  the  fetters  of  wedded  life.  I  must  not,  because  I  should  make 
you  unhappy  and  wretched.  I  cannot,  while,  doing  so,  I  should  act 
perfidiously  toward  a  friend  of  mine,  for  you  know  very  well  that 
the  Prince  von  Reuss  is  my  intimate  friend. " 

"  And  /  am  his  mistress.  You  wished  to  intimate  that  to  me  by 
your  last  words,  I  suppose  ?" 

"  I  wished  to  intimate  that  he  loves  you  boundlessly,  and  he  is  a 
generous,  magnanimous  man,  whose  heart  would  break  if  any  one 
should  take  you  from  him." 

"For  the  last  time,  then  :  you  will  not  marry  me?" 

"Marianne,  I  love  you  too  tenderly — I  cannot  marry  you  !" 

Marianne  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter.  "  A  strange  reason  for  re- 
jecting my  hand,  indeed  !"  she  said.  "It  is  so  original  that  in  itself 
it  might  almost  induce  me  to  forgive  your  refusal.  And  yet  I  had 
counted  so  firmly  and  surely  upon  your  love  and  consent  that  I  had 
made  already  the  necessary  arrangements  in  order  that  our  wedding 
might  take  place  to-day.  Just  look  at  me,  Gentz.  Do  you  not  see 
that  I  wear  a  bridal- dress?" 

"Your  beauty  is  always  a  splendid  bridal-dress  for  you, 
Marianne. " 

"  Well  said !  But  do  you  not  see  a  myrtle-wreath,  my  bridal- 
wi'eath,  on  the  table  there?  Honi  soit  qui  mal  y  pense!  The  priest 
is  already  waiting  for  the  bride  and  bridegroom  in  the  small  chapel, 
the  candles  on  the  altar  are  lighted,  every  thing  is  re'^dy  for  the  cere- 
mony. Well,  we  must  not  make  the  priest  wait  any  longer.  So  you 
decline  being  the  bridegroom  at  the  ceremony?  Well,  attend  it, 
then,  as  a  witness.  Will  you  do  so?  Will  you  assist  me  as  a  faith- 
ful friend,  sign  my  marriage-contract,  and  keep  my  secret?" 

"  I  am  ready  to  give  you  any  proof  of  my  love  and  friendship, " 
said  Gentz,  gravely. 

"Well,  I  counted  on  you,"  exclaimed  Marianne,  smiling,  "and, 
to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  counted  on  your  refusal  to  marry  me.  Come, 
give  me  your  arm.  I  will  show  you  the  same  chapel  which  the 
Prince  von  Reuss  has  caused  to  be  fitted  up  here  in  the  building  of 
the  Austrian  embassy.  The  servants  will  see  nothing  strange  in  our 


122  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

going  there,  and  I  hope,  moreover,  that  we  shall  meet  with  no  one 
on  our  way  thither.  At  the  chapel  we  shall  perhaps  find  Prince 
Henry — that  will  be  a  mere  accident,  which  will  surprise  no  one. 
Come,  assist  me  in  putting  on  this  long  black  mantilla  which  will 
entirely  conceal  my  white  silk  dress.  The  myrtle-wreath  I  shall 
take  under  my  arm  so  that  no  one  will  see  it.  And  now,  come  !" 

"  Yes,  let  us  go, "  said  Gentz,  offering  his  arm  to  her.  "  I  see 
very  well  that  there  is  a  mystification  in  store  for  me,  but  I  shall 
follow  you  wherever  you  will  take  me,  to  the  devil  or — " 

"  Or  to  church, "  she  said,  smiling.  "  But  hush  now,  so  that  no 
one  may  hear  us. " 

They  walked  silently  through  the  rooms,  then  down  a  long  corri- 
dor, and  after  descending  a  narrow  secret  staircase,  they  entered  a 
.small  apartment  where  three  gentlemen  were  waiting  for  them. 
One  of  them  was  a  Catholic  priest  in  his  vestments,  the  second  the 
Prince  von  Reuss,  Henry  XIII. ,  and  the  third  the  first  attache  of  the 
Austrian  embassy. 

The  prince  approached  Marianne,  and  after  taking  her  hand  he 
saluted  Gentz  in  the  most  cordial  manner. 

"  Every  thing  is  ready, "  he  said  ;  "  come,  Marianne,  let  me  place 
the  wreath  on  your  head. " 

Marianne  took  off  her  mantilla,  and,  handing  the  myrtle- wreath 
to  the  prince,  she  bowed  her  head,  and  almost  knelt  down  before 
him.  He  took  the  wreath  and  fastened  it  in  her  hair,  whereupon 
he  beckoned  the  attacJie  to  hand  to  him  the  large  casket  standing  on 
the  table.  This  casket  contained  a  small  prince's  coronet  of  exqui- 
site workmanship  and  sparkling  with  the  most  precious  diamonds. 

The  prince  fastened  this  coronet  over  Marianne's  wreath,  and  the 
diamonds  glistened  now  like  stars  over  the  delicate  myrtle-leaves. 

"  Arise,  Marianne, "  he  then  said,  loudly.  "  I  have  fastened  the 
coronet  of  your  new  dignity  in  your  hair  ;  let  us  now  go  to  the  altar. " 

Marianne  arose.  A  strange  radiance  of  triumphant  joy  beamed 
in  her  face  ;  a  deep  flush  suffused  her  cheeks,  generally  so  pale  and 
transparent ;  a  blissful  smile  played  on  her  lips.  With  a  proud  and 
sublime  glance  at  Gentz,  who  was  staring  at  her,  speechless  and 
amazed,  she  took  the  prince's  arm. 

The  priest  led  the  way,  and  from  the  small  room  they  now  entered 
the  chapel  of  the  embassy.  On  the  altar,  over  which  one  of  Van 
Dyck's  splendid  paintings  was  hanging,  large  wax- tapers  were 
burning  in  costly  silver  chandeliers.  On  the  carpet  in  front  of  the 
altar  two  small  prie-dieus  for  Marianne  and  the  prince  were  placed, 
and  two  arm-chairs  for  the  witnesses  stood  behind  them.  Opposite 
the  altar,  on  the  other  side  of  the  chapel,  a  sort  of  choir  or  balcony 
with  an  organ  bad  been  fitted  up. 


LOVE  AND  POLITICS.  123 

But  no  one  was  there  to  play  on  that  organ.  All  the  other  chairs 
and  benches  were  vacant ;  the  ceremony  was  to  be  performed  secretly 
and  quietly. 

Gentz  saw  and  observed  every  thing  as  though  it  were  a  vision, 
he  could  not  yet  make  up  his  mind  that  it  was  a  reality  ;  he  was 
confused  and  almost  dismayed,  and  did  not  know  whether  it  was 
owing  to  his  surprise  at  what  was  going  on,  or  to  his  vexation  at 
being  so  badly  duped  by  Marianne.  He  believed  he  was  dreaming 
when  he  saw  Marianne  and  the  prince  kneeling  on  the  prie-dieus, 
Marianne  Meier,  the  Jewess,  at  the  right  hand  of  the  high-born 
nobleman,  at  the  place  of  honor,  only  to  be  occupied  by  legitimate 
brides  of  equal  rank  ;  and  when  he  heard  the  priest,  who  stood  in 
front  of  the  altar,  pronounce  solemn  words  of  exhortation  and  bene- 
diction, and  finally  ask  the  kneeling  bride  and  bridegroom  to  vow 
eternal  love  and  fidelity  to  each  other.  Both  uttered  the  solemn 
"  Yes"  at  the  same  time,  the  prince  quietly  and  gravely,  Marianne 
hastily  and  in  a  joyful  voice.  The  priest  thereupon  gave  them  the 
benediction,  and  the  ceremony  was  over.  The  whole  party  then 
returned  to  the  anteroom  serving  as  a  sacristy.  They  silently  re- 
ceived the  congratulations  of  the  priest  and  the  witnesses.  The 
attache  then  took  a  paper  from  his  memorandum- book  ;  it  contained 
the  minutes  of  the  ceremony,  which  he  had  drawn  up  already  in 
advance.  Marianne  and  the  prince  signed  it ;  the  witnesses  and  the 
priest  did  the  same,  the  latter  adding  the  church  seal  to  his  signa- 
ture. It  was  now  a  perfectly  valid  certificate  of  their  legitimate 
marriage,  which  the  prince  handed  to  Marianne,  and  for  which  she 
thanked  him  with  a  tender  smile. 

"  You  are  now  my  legitimate  wife, "  said  the  Prince  von  Reuss, 
gravely  ;  "I  wish  to  give  you  this  proof  of  my  love  and  esteem,  and 
I  return  my  thanks  to  these  gentlemen  for  having  witnessed  the  cer- 
emony ;  you  might  some  day  stand  in  need  of  their  testimony.  For 
the  time  being,  however,  I  have  cogent  reasons  for  keeping  our 
marriage  secret,  and  you  have  promised  not  to  divulge  it." 

"And  I  renew  my  promise  at  this  sacred  place  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  priest  and  our  witnesses,  my  dear  husband,"  said  Mari- 
anne. "No  one  shall  hear  from  me  a  word  or  even  an  intimation  of 
what  has  occurred  here.  Before  the  world  I  shall  be  obediently  and 
patiently  nothing  but  your  mistress  until  you  deem  it  prudent  to 
acknowledge  that  I  am  your  wife. " 

"  I  shall  do  so  at  no  distant  day, "  said  the  prince.  "  And  you, 
gentlemen,  will  you  promise  also,  will  you  pledge  me  your  word  of 
honor  that  you  will  faithfully  keep  our  secret?" 

"We  promise  it  upon  our  honor  !"  exclaimed  the  two  gentlemen. 

The  prince  bowed  his  thanks.     "  Let  us  now  leave  the  chapel  sep- 


124  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

arately,  just  as  we  have  come, "  he  said ;  "  if  we  should  withdraw 
together,  it  would  excite  the  attention  and  curiosity  of  the  servants, 
some  of  whom  might  meet  us  in  the  hall.  Come,  baron,  you  will 
accompany  me."  He  took  the  attache's  arm,  and  left  the  small 
sacristry  with  him. 

"  And  you  will  accompany  me, "  said  Marianne,  kindly  nodding 
to  Gentz. 

"  And  I  shall  stay  here  for  the  purpose  of  praying  for  the  bride 
and  bridegroom, "  muttered  the  priest,  returning  to  the  altar. 

Marianne  now  hastily  took  the  coronet  and  myrtle-wreath  from 
her  hair  and  concealed  both  under  the  black  mantilla  which  Gentz 
gallantly  laid  around  her  shoulders. 

They  silently  reascended  the  narrow  staircase  and  returned 
through  the  corridor  to  Marianne's  rooms.  Upon  reaching  her  bou- 
doir, Marianne  doffed  her  mantilla  with  an  indescribable  air  of  tri- 
umphant joy,  and  laid  the  coronet  and  myrtle- wreath  on  the  table. 

"  Well, "  she  asked  in  her  sonorous,  impressive  voice,  "  what  do 
you  say  now,  my  tender  Gentz?" 

He  had  taken  his  hat,  and  replied  with  a  deep  bow  :  "  I  have  to 
say  that  I  bow  to  your  sagacity  and  talents.  That  was  a  master- 
stroke of  yours,  dearest. " 

"Was  it  not?"  she  asked,  triumphantly.  "The  Jewess,  hitherto 
despised  and  ostracized  by  society,  has  suddenly  become  a  legiti- 
mate princess ;  she  has  now  the  power  to  avenge  all  sneers,  all  de- 
rision, all  contempt  she  has  had  to  undergo.  Oh,  how  sweet  this 
revenge  will  be — how  I  shall  humble  all  those  haughty  ladies  who 
dared  to  despise  me,  and  who  will  be  obliged  henceforth  to  yield  the 
place  of  honor  to  me  !" 

"And  will  you  revenge  yourself  upon  me  too,  Marianne?"  asked 
Gentz,  humbly — "  upon  me  who  dared  reject  your  hand  ?  But  no, 
you  must  always  be  grateful  to  me  for  that  refusal  of  mine.  Just 
imagine  I  had  compelled  you  to  stick  to  your  offer  :  instead  of  being 
a  princess,  you  would  now  be  the  unhappy  wife  of  the  poor  military 
counsellor,  Frederick  Gentz. " 

Marianne  laughed.  "  You  are  right, "  she  said,  "  I  am  grateful 
to  you  for  it.  But,  my  friend,  you  must  not  and  shall  not  remain 
the  poor  military  counsellor  Gentz. " 

"God  knows  that  that  is  not  my  intention  either,"  exclaimed 
Gentz,  laughing.  "  God  has  placed  a  capital  in  my  head,  and  you 
may  be  sure  that  I  shall  know  how  to  invest  it  at  a  good  rate  of 
interest. " 

"  But  here  you  will  obtain  no  such  interest, "  said  Marianne, 
eagerly,  "  let  us  speak  sensibly  about  that  matter.  We  have  paid 
our  tribute  to  love  and  friendship ;  let  us  now  talk  about  politics. 


LOVE  AND  POLITICS.  125 

I  am  authorized — and  she  who  addresess  you  now  is  no  longer  Mari- 
anne Meier,  but  the  wife  of  the  Austrian  ambassador — I  am  author- 
ized to  make  an  important  offer  to  you.  Come,  my  friend,  sit  down 
in  the  arm-chair  here,  and  let  us  hold  a  diplomatic  conference." 

"  Yes,  let  us  do  so, "  said  Gentz,  smiling,  and  taking  the  seat  she 
had  indicated  to  him. 

"  Friend  Gentz,  what  are  your  hopes  for  the  future?" 

"  A  ponderous  question,  Taut  I  shall  try  to  answer  it  as  briefly  as 
possible.  I  am  in  hopes  of  earning  fame,  honor,  rank,  influence, 
and  a  brilliant  position  by  my  talents. " 

"And  you  believe  you  can  obtain  all  that  here  in  Prussia?" 

"  I  hope  so, "  said  Gentz,  hesitatingly. 

"  You  have  addressed  a  memorial  to  the  young  king  ;  you  have 
urged  him  to  give  to  his  subjects  prosperity,  happiness,  honor,  and 
freedom  of  the  press.  How  long  is  it  since  you  sent  that  memorial 
to  him?" 

"  Four  weeks  to-day. " 

"  Four  weeks,  and  they  have  not  yet  rewarded  you  for  your  glori- 
ous memorial,  although  the  whole  Prussian  nation  hailed  it  with 
the  most  rapturous  applause?  They  have  not  yet  thought  of  ap- 
pointing you  to  a  position  worthy  of  your  talents?  You  have  not 
yet  been  invited  to  court?" 

"Yes,  I  was  invited  to  court.  The  queen  wished  to  become 
acquainted  with  me.  Gualtieri  presented  me  to  her,  and  her  maj- 
esty said  very  many  kind  and  flattering  things  to  me. "  * 

"  Words,  empty  words,  my  friend  !  Their  actions  are  more  elo- 
quent. The  king  has  not  sent  for  you,  the  king  has  not  thanked 
you.  The  king  does  not  want  your  advice,  and  as  if  to  show  to 
yourself,  and  to  all  those  who  have  received  your  letter  so  enthusi- 
astically, that  he  intends  to  pursue  his  own  path  and  not  to  listen  to 
such  advice,  the  king,  within  the  last  few  days,  has  addressed  a 
decree  to  the  criminal  court,  peremptorily  ordering  the  prosecuting 
attorneys  to  proceed  rigorously  against  the  publishers  of  writings 
not  submitted  to  or  rejected  by  the  censors,  "f 

"That  cannot  be  true — that  is  impossible!"  exclaimed  Gentz, 
starting  up. 

"I  pardon  your  impetuosity  in  consideration  of  your  just  indig- 
nation, "  said  Marianne,  smiling.  "  That  I  told  you  the  truth,  how- 
ever, you  will  see  in  to-morrow's  Gazette,  which  will  contain  the 
royal  decree  I  alluded  to.  Oh,  you  know  very  well  the  Austrian 
ambassador  has  good  friends  everywhere,  who  furnish  him  the 
latest  news,  and  keep  him  informed  of  all  such  things.  You  need 

*Varnhagen,  "Gallerie  von  Bildnissen,"  etc.,  vol.  ii. 

t  F.  Foerster,  "  Modern  History  of  Prussia,"  vol.  i.,  p.  498. 


126  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

not  hope,  therefore,  that  the  young  king  will  make  any  use  of  your 
talents  or  grant  you  any  favors.  Your  splendid  memorial  has 
offended  him  instead  of  winning  him  ;  he  thought  it  was  altogether 
too  bold.  Frederick  William  the  Third  is  not  partial  to  bold,  eccen- 
tric acts ;  he  instinctively  shrinks  back  from  all  violent  reforms. 
The  present  King  of  Prussia  will  not  meddle  with  the  great  affairs 
of  the  world  ;  the  King  of  Prussia  wishes  to  remain  neutral  amidst 
the  struggle  of  contending  parties.  Instead  of  thinking  of  war  and 
politics,  he  devotes  his  principal  attention  to  the  church  service  and 
examination  of  the  applicants  for  holy  orders,  and  yet  he  is  not 
even  courageous  enough  formally  to  abolish  Wollner's  bigoted  edict, 
and  thus  to  make  at  least  one  decisive  step  forward.  Believe  me, 
lukewarmness  and  timidity  will  characterize  every  act  of  his  ad- 
ministration. So  you  had  better  go  to  Austria. " 

"And  what  shall  I  do  in  Austria?"  asked  Gentz,  thoughtfully. 

"What  shall  you  do  there?"  exclaimed  Marianne,  passionately. 
"  You  shall  serve  the  fatherland — you  shall  serve  Germany,  for  Ger- 
many is  in  Austria  just  as  well  as  in  Prussia.  Oh,  believe  me,  my 
friend,  only  in  Austria  will  you  find  men  strong  and  bold  enough  to 
brave  the  intolerable  despotism  of  the  French.  And  the  leading 
men  there  will  welcome  you  most  cordially  ;  an  appropriate  sphere 
will  be  allotted  to  your  genius,  and  the  position  to  which  you  will 
be  appointed  will  amply  satisfy  the  aspirations  of  your  ambition. 
I  am  officially  authorized  to  make  this  offer  to  you,  for  Austria  is 
well  aware  that,  in  the  future,  she  stands  in  need  of  men  of  first- 
class  ability,  and  she  therefore  desires  to  secure  your  services,  which 
she  will  reward  in  a  princely  manner.  Come,  my  friend,  I  shall 
set  out  to-day  with  the  prince  on  a  journey  to  Austria.  Accompany 
us — become  one  of  ours  !" 

"Ours  !    Are  you,  then,  no'longer  a  daughter  of  Prussia?" 

"  I  have  become  a  thorough  and  enthusiastic  Austrian,  for  I  wor- 
ship energy  and  determination,  and  these  qualities  I  find  only  in 
Austria,  in  the  distinguished  man  who  is  holding  the  helm  of  her 
ship  of  state,  Baron  Thugut.  Come  with  us ;  Thugut  is  anxious  to 
have  you  about  his  person  ;  accompany  us  to  him." 

"And  what  are  you  going  to  do  in  Vienna?"  asked  Gentz,  eva- 
sively. " Is  it  a  mere  pleasure-trip?" 

"If  another  man  should  put  that  question  to  me,  I  should  reply 
in  the  affirmative,  but  to  you  I  am  going  to  prove  by  my  entire 
sincerity  that  I  really  believe  you  to  be  a  devoted  friend  of  mine. 
No,  it  is  no  pleasure-trip.  I  accompany  the  prince  to  Vienna  be- 
cause he  wants  to  get  there  instructions  from  Baron  Thugut  and 
learn  what  is  to  be  done  at  Rastadt. " 

"  Ah,  at  Rastadt — at  the  peace  congress, "  exclaimed  Gentz.     "  The 


LOVE  AND  POLITICS.  127 

emperor  has  requested  the  states  of  the  empire  to  send  plenipoten- 
tiaries to  Rastadt  to  negotiate  there  with  France  a  just  and  equitable 
peace.  Prussia  has  already  sent  there  her  plenipotentiaries,  Count 
Goertz  and  Baron  Dohm.  Oh,  I  should  have  liked  to  accompany 
them  and  participate  in  performing  the  glorious  task  to  be  accom- 
plished there.  That  congress  at  Rastadt  is  the  last  hope  of  Germany  ; 
if  it  should  fail,  all  prospects  of  a  regeneration  of  the  empire  are 
gone.  That  congress  will  at  last  give  to  the  nation  all  it  needs  :  an 
efficient  organization  of  the  empire,  a  well-regulated  administration 
of  justice,  protection  of  German  manufactures  against  British  arro- 
gance, and  last,  but  not  least,  freedom  of  the  press,  for  which  the 
Germans  have  been  yearning  for  so  many  years. " 

Marianne  burst  into  a  loud  fit  of  laughter.  "  Oh,  you  enthusiastic 
visionary!"  she  said,  "but  let  us  speak  softly,  for  even  the  walls 
must  not  hear  what  I  am  now  going  to  tell  you. " 

She  bent  over  the  table,  drawing  nearer  to  Gentz,  and  fixing  her 
large,  flaming  eyes  upon  him,  she  asked  in  a  whsiper,  "  I  suppose 
you  love  Germany?  You  would  not  like  to  see  her  devoured  by 
France  as  Italy  was  devoured  by  her?  You  would  not  like  either  to 
see  her  go  to  decay  and  crumble  to  pieces  from  inherent  weakness?" 

"Oh,  I  love  Germany!"  said  Gentz,  enthusiastically.  "All  my 
wishes,  all  my  hopes  belong  to  her.  Would  to  God  I  could  say  some 
day,  all  my  talents,  my  energy,  my  perseverance  are  devoted  to  my 
fatherland — to  Germany  !" 

"  Well,  if  you  really  desire  to  be  useful  to  Germany, "  whispered 
Marianne,  " hasten  to  Rastadt.  If  Germany  is  to  be  saved  at  all,  it 
must  be  done  at  once.  You  know  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty  of 
Campo  Formio,  I  suppose?" 

"  I  only  know  what  every  one  knows  about  them. " 

"  But  you  do  not  know  the  secret  article.  I  will  tell  you  all  about 
it.  Listen  to  me.  The  secret  article  accepted  by  the  emperor  reads 
as  follows :  '  The  emperor  pledges  himself  to  withdraw  his  troops 
from  Mentz,  Ehrenbreitstein,  Mannheim,  Konigsteiu,  and  from  the 
German  empire  in  general,  twenty  days  after  the  ratification  of  the 
peace,  which  has  to  take  place  in  the  course  of  two  months. '" 

"But  he  thereby  delivers  the  empire  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
enemy,"  exclaimed  Gentz,  in  dismay.  "Oh,  that  cannot  be!  No 
German  could  grant  and  sign  such  terms  without  sinking  into  the 
earth  from  shame.  That  would  be  contrary  to  every  impulse  of 
patriotism — " 

"  Nevertheless,  that  article  has  been  signed  and  will  be  carried 
out  to  the  letter.     Make  haste,  therefore,  Germany  is  calling  you ; 
assist  her,  you  have  got  the  strength.     Oh,  give  it  to  her  !    Become 
*Schlosser's  "History  of  the  Eighteenth  Century,"  vol.  v.,  p.  43. 


128  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

an  Austrian  just  as  Brutus  became  a  servant  of  the  kings  ;  become 
an  Austrian  in  order  to  save  Germany  !" 

"Ah,  you  want  to  entice  me,  Delilah  !"  exclaimed  Gentz.  "You 
want  to  show  me  a  beautiful  goal  in  order  to  make  me  walk  the 
tortuous  paths  which  may  lead  thither !  No,  Delilah,  it  is  in  vain  ! 
I  shall  stay  here  ;  I  shall  not  go  to  Austria,  for  Austria  is  the  state 
that  is  going  to  betray  Germany.  Prussia  may  be  able  to  save  her ; 
she  stands  perhaps  in  need  of  my  arm,  my  pen,  and  my  tongue  for 
that  purpose.  I  am  a  German,  but  first  of  all  I  am  a  Prussian,  and 
every  good  patriot  ought  first  to  serve  his  immediate  country,  and 
wait  until  she  calls  him.  I  still  hope  that  the  king  will  prove  the 
right  man  for  his  responsible  position ;  I  still  expect  that  he  will 
succeed  in  rendering  Prussia  great  and  Germany  free.  I  must, 
therefore,  remain  a  Prussian  as  yet  and  be  ready  to  serve  my 
country. " 

"  Poor  enthusiast !  You  will  regret  some  day  having  lost  your 
time  by  indulging  in  visionary  hopes. " 

"Well,  I  will  promise,  whenever  that  day  comes,  whenever 
Prussia  declares  that  she  does  not  want  my  services,  then  I  will 
come  to  you — then  you  shall  enlist  me  for  Austria,  and  perhaps  I 
may  then  still  be  able  to  do  something  for  Germany.  But  until 
then,  leave  me  here.  I  swear  to  you,  not  a  word  of  what  you  have 
just  told  me  here  shall  be  betrayed  by  my  lips  ;  but  I  cannot  serve 
him  who  has  betrayed  Germany. " 

"  You  cannot  be  induced,  then,  to  accept  my  offer?  You  want  to 
stay  here?  You  refuse  to  accompany  me  to  Vienna,  to  Rastadt,  in 
order  to  save  what  may  yet  be  saved  for  Germany?" 

"  If  I  had  an  army  under  my  command, "  exclaimed  Gentz,  with 
flaming  eyes,  "  if  I  were  the  King  of  Prussia,  then  I  should  assuredly 
go  to  Rastadt,  but  I  should  go  thither  for  the  purpose  of  dispersing 
all  those  hypocrites,  cowards,  and  scribblers  who  call  themselves 
statesmen,  and  of  driving  those  French  republicans  who  put  on 
such  disgusting  airs,  and  try  to  make  us  believe  they  had  a  perfect 
right  to  meddle  with  the  domestic  affairs  of  Germany — beyond  the 
Rhine  !  I  should  go  thither  for  the  purpose  of  garrisoning  the  for- 
tresses of  the  Rhine — which  the  Emperor  of  Germany  is  going  to 
surrender  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  enemy — with  my  troops,  and 
of  defending  them  against  all  foes  from  without  or  from  within.  That 
would  be  my  policy  if  I  were  King  of  Prussia.  But  being  merely 
the  poor  military  counsellor,  Frederick  Gentz,  and  having  nothing 
but  some  ability  and  a  sharp  pen,  I  shall  stay  here  and  wait  to  see 
whether  or  not  Prussia  will  make  use  of  my  ability  and  of  my  pen. 
God  save  Germany  and  protect  her  from  her  physicians  who  are  con- 
cocting a  fatal  draught  for  her  at  Rastadt !  God  save  Germany  1" 


FRANCE  AND  GERMANY. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

CTTOYENNE  JOSEPHINE  BONAPARTE. 

A  JOYFUL  commotion  reigned  on  the  eighth  of  November,  1797, 
in  the  streets  and  public  places  of  the  German  fortress  of  Rastadt. 
The  whole  population  of  the  lower  classes  had  gathered  in  the  streets, 
while  the  more  aristocratic  inhabitants  appeared  at  the  open  win- 
dows of  their  houses  in  eager  expectation  of  the  remarkable  event 
for  which  not  only  the  people  of  the  whole  city,  but  also  the  foreign 
ambassadors,  a  large  number  of  whom  had  arrived  at  Rastadt,  were 
looking  with  the  liveliest  symptoms  of  impatience. 

And,  indeed,  a  rare  spectacle  was  in  store  for  them.  It  was  the 
arrival  of  General  Bonaparte  and  his  wife  Josephine  that  all  were 
waiting  for  this  morning.  They  were  not  to  arrive  together,  how- 
ever, but  both  were  to  reach  the  city  by  a  different  route.  Jose- 
phine, who  was  expected  to  arrive  first,  was  coming  from  Milan  by 
the  shortest  and  most  direct  route  ;  while  Bonaparte  had  undertaken 
a  more  extended  journey  from  Campo  Formio  through  -Italy  and 
Switzerland.  It  was  well  known  already  that  he  had  been  received 
everywhere  with  the  most  unbounded  enthusiasm,  and  that  all  na- 
tions had  hailed  him  as  the  Messiah  of  liberty.  There  had  not  been 
a  single  city  that  had  not  received  him  with  splendid  festivities, 
and  honors  had  been  paid  to  him  as  though  he  were  not  only  a  trium- 
phant victor,  but  an  exalted  ruler,  to  whom  every  one  was  willing 
to  submit.  Even  free  Switzerland  had  formed  no  exception.  At 
Geneva  the  daughters  of  the  first  and  most  distinguished  families, 
clad  in  the  French  colors,  had  presented  to  him  in  the  name  of  the 
city  a  laurel-wreath.  At  Berne,  his  carriage  had  passed  through 
two  lines  of  handsomely  decorated  coaches,  filled  with  beautiful 
and  richly  adorned  ladies,  who  had  hailed  him  with  the  jubilant 
shout  of  "  Long  live  the  pacificator  !" 

In  the  same  manner  the  highest  honors  had  been  paid  to  his  wife 
Josephine,  who  had  been  treated  everywhere  with  the  deference  due 
to  a  sovereign  princess.  The  news  of  these  splendid  receptions  had 
reached  Rastadt  already ;  and  it  was  but  natural  that  the  authorities 


130  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

and  citizens  of  the  fortress  did  not  wish  to  be  outdone,  and  that  they 
had  made  extensive  arrangements  for  welcoming  the  conqueror  of 
Italy  in  a  becoming  manner. 

A  magnificent  triumphal  arch  had  been  erected  in  front  of  the 
gate  through  which  General  Bonaparte  was  to  enter  the  city,  and 
under  it  the  city  fathers,  clad  in  their  official  robes,  were  waiting 
for  the  victorious  hero,  in  order  to  conduct  him  to  the  house  that 
had  been  selected  for  him.  In  front  of  this  house,  situated  on  the 
large  market-place,  a  number  of  young  and  pretty  girls,  dressed  in 
white,  and  carrying  baskets  with  flowers  and  fruits  which  they 
were  to  lay  at  the  feet  of  the  general's  beautiful  wife,  had  assembled. 
At  the  gate  through  which  Josephine  was  to  arrive,  a  brilliant 
cavalcade  of  horsemen  had  gathered  for  the  purpose  of  welcoming 
the  lady  of  the  great  French  chieftain,  and  of  escorting  her  as  a 
guard  of  honor. 

Among  these  cavaliers  there  were  most  of  the  ambassadors  from 
the  different  parts  of  Germany,  who  had  met  here  at  Rastadt  in 
order  to  accomplish  the  great  work  of  peace.  Every  sovereign  Ger- 
man prince,  every  elector  and  independent  count  had  sent  his  dele- 
gates to  the  southwestern  fortress  for  the  purpose  of  negotiating 
with  the  French  plenipotentiaries  concerning  the  future  destinies 
of  Germany.  Even  Sweden  had  sent  a  representative,  who  had  not 
appeared  so  much,  however,  in  order  to  take  care  of  the  interests  of 
Swedish  Pomerania,  as  to  play  the  part  of  a  mediator  and  reconciler. 

All  these  ambassadors  had  been  allowed  to  enter  Rastadt  quietly 
and  entirely  unnoticed.  The  German  city  had  failed  to  pay  any 
public  honors  to  these  distinguished  German  noblemen  ;  but  every 
one  hastened  to  exhibit  the  greatest  deference  to  the  French  general 
— and  even  the  ambassadors  deemed  it  prudent  to  participate  in 
these  demonstrations  :  only  they  tried  to  display,  even  on  this  occa- 
sion, their  accustomed  diplomacy,  and  instead  of  receiving  the 
victorious  chieftain  in  the  capacity  of  humble  vassals,  they  pre- 
ferred to  present  their  respects  as  gallant  cavaliers  to  his  beautiful 
wife  and  to  escort  her  into  the  city. 

The  German  ambassadors,  therefore,  were  waiting  for  Mine. 
General  Bonaparte  on  their  magnificent  prancing  steeds  in  front  of 
the  gate  through  which  she  was  to  pass.  Even  old  Count  Metternich, 
the  delegate  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria  and  ruler  of  the  empire,  not- 
withstanding the  stiffness  of  his  limbs,  had  mounted  his  horse ;  by 
his  side  the  other  two  ambassadors  of  Austria  were  halting — Count 
Lehrbach,  the  Austrian  member  of  the  imperial  commission,  and 
Count  Louis  Cobenzl,  who  was  acting  as  a  delegate  for  Bohemia  and 
Hungary.  Behind  old  Count  Metternich,  on  a  splendid  and  most 
fiery  charger,  a  young  cavalier  of  tall  figure  and  rare  manly  beauty 


CITOYENNE  JOSEPHINE  BONAPARTE.  131 

might  be  seen ;  it  was  young  Count  Clemens  Metternich,  who  was 
to  represent  the  corporation  of  the  Counts  of  Westphalia,  and  to  be- 
gin his  official  diplomatic  career  here  at  Rastadt  under  the  eye  of  his 
aged  father.  By  his  side  the  imposing  and  grave  ambassadors  of 
Prussia  made  their  appearance — Count  Goertz,  who  at  the  time  of 
the  war  for  the  succession  in  Bavaria  had  played  a  part  so  important 
for  Prussia  and  so  hostile  to  Austria ;  and  Baron  Dohrn,  no  less  dis- 
tinguished as  a  cavalier,  than  as  a  writer.  Not  far  from  them  the 
representatives  of  Bavaria,  Saxony,  Wurtemberg,  and  of  the  whole 
host  of  the  so-called  "  Immediates"  *  might  be  seen,  whom  the  editors 
and  correspondents  had  joined,  that  had  repaired  to  Rastadt  in  the 
hope  of  finding  there  a  perfect  gold  -mine  for  their  greedy  pens.  But 
not  merely  the  German  diplomatists  and  the  aristocratic  young  men 
of  Rastadt  were  waiting  here  for  the  arrival  of  Mme.  General  Bona- 
parte ;  there  was  also  the  whole  crowd  of  French  singers,  actors,  and 
adventurers  who  had  flocked  to  the  Congress  of  Rastadt  for  the  pur- 
pose of  amusing  the  distinguished  noblemen  and  delegates  by  their 
vaudevilles,  comedies,  and  gay  operas.  Finally,  there  were  also  the 
French  actresses  and  ballet-girls,  who,  dresse  :'n  the  highest  style 
of  fashion,  were  occupying  on  one  side  of  the  A  ~>r-  <l  a  long  row  of 
splendid  carriages.  Many  of  these  carriages  were  decorated  on  their 
doors  with  large  coats -of -arms,  and  a  person  well  versed  in  heraldry 
might  have  easily  seen  therefrom  that  these  escutcheons  indicated 
some  of  the  noble  diplomatists  on  the  other  side  of  the  road  to  be  the 
owners  of  the  carriages.  In  fact,  a  very  cordial  and  friendly  under- 
standing seemed  to  prevail  between  the  diplomatists  and  the  ladies 
of  the  French  theatre.  This  was  not  only  evident  from  the  German 
diplomatists  having  lent  their  carriages  to  the  French  ladies  for  the 
day's  reception,  but  likewise  from  the  ardent,  tender,  and  amorous 
glances  that  were  being  exchanged  between  them,  from  their  sig- 
nificant smiles,  and  from  their  stealthy  nods  and  mute  but  eloquent 
greetings. 

Suddenly,  however,  this  inimical  flirtation  was  interrupted  by 
the  rapid  approach  of  a  courier.  This  was  the  signal  announcing 
the  impending  arrival  of  Josephine  Bonaparte.  In  fact,  the  heads 
of  four  horses  were  seen  already  in  the  distance  ;  they  came  nearer 
and  nearer,  and  now  the  carriage  drawn  by  these  horses,  and  a  lady 
occupying  it,  could  be  plainly  discerned. 

It  was  a  wonderful  warm  day  in  November.  Josephine,  there- 
fore, had  caused  the  top  of  her  carriage  to  be  taken  down,  and  the 
spectators  were  able,  not  merely  to  behold  her  face,  but  to  scan  most 
leisurely  her  whole  figure  and  even  her  costume.  The  carriage  had 

*The  noblemen  owning  territory  in  the  states  of  secondary  princes,  but  subject 
only  to  the  authority  of  the  emperor,  were  called  "Immediates." 


132  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

approached  at  full  gallop,  but  now,  upon  drawing  near  to  the  crowd 
assembled  in  front  of  the  gate,  it  slackened  its  speed,  and  every  one 
had  time  and  leisure  to  contemplate  the  lady  enthroned  in  the  car- 
riage. She  was  no  longer  in  the  first  bloom  of  youth ;  more  than 
thirty  years  had  passed  already  over  her  head  ;  they  had  deprived 
her  complexion  of  its  natural  freshness,  and  left  the  first  slight 
traces  of  age  upon  her  pure  and  noble  forehead.  But  her  large  dark 
eyes  were  beaming  still  in  the  imperishable  fire  of  her  inward  youth, 
and  a  sweet  and  winning  smile,  illuminating  her  whole  countenance 
as  though  a  ray  of  the  setting  sun  had  fallen  upon  it,  was  playing 
around  her  charming  lips.  Her  graceful  and  elegant  figure  was 
wrapped  in  a  closely  fitting  gown  of  dark-green  velvet,  richly 
trimmed  with  costly  furs,  and  a  small  bonnet,  likewise  trimmed 
with  furs,  covered  her  head,  and  under  this  bonnet  luxuriant  dark 
ringlets  were  flowing  down,  surrounding  the  beautiful  and  noble 
oval  of  her  face  with  a  most  becoming  frame. 

Josephine  Bonaparte  was  still  a  most  attractive  and  lovely 
woman,  and  on  beholding  her  it  was  easily  understood  why  Bona- 
parte, although  r.iv.^n  younger,  had  been  so  fascinated  by  this 
charming  lady  ar  j  loved  her  with  such  passionate  tenderness. 

The  French  actors  now  gave  vent  to  their  delight  by  loud  cheers, 
and  rapturously  waving  their  hats,  they  shouted  :  "  Vive  la  citoyenne 
Bonaparte!  Vive  V august e  epouse  de  I'ltalique!" 

Josephine  nodded  eagerly  and  with  affable  condescension  to  the 
enthusiastic  crowd,  and  slowly  passed  on.  On  approaching  the 
diplomatists,  she  assumed  a  graver  and  more  erect  attitude ;  she 
acknowledged  the  low,  respectful  obeisances  of  the  cavaliers  with 
the  distinguished,  careless,  and  yet  polite  bearing  of  a  queen,  and 
seemed  to  have  for  every  one  a  grateful  glance  and  a  kind  smile. 
Every  one  was  satisfied  that  she  had  especially  noticed  and  distin- 
guished him,  and  every  one,  "therefore,  felt  flattered  and  elated. 
From  the  diplomatists  she  turned  her  face  for  a  moment  to  the  other 
side,  toward  the  ladies  seated  in  the  magnificent  carriages.  But 
her  piercing  eye,  her  delicate  womanly  instinct  told  her  at  a  glance 
that  these  ladies,  in  spite  of  the  splendor  surrounding  them,  were  no 
representatives  of  the  aristocracy  ;  she  therefore  greeted  them  with 
a  rapid  nod,  a  kind  smile,  and  a  graceful  wave  of  her  hand,  and 
then  averted  her  head  again. 

Her  carriage  now  passed  through  the  gate,  the  cavaliers  surround- 
ing it  on  both  sides,  and  thereby  separating  the  distinguished  lady 
from  her  attendants,  who  were  following  her  in  four  large  coaches. 
These  were  joined  by  the  carriages  of  the  actresses,  by  whose  sides 
the  heroes  of  the  stage  were  cantering  and  exhibiting  their  horse- 
manship to  the  laughing  belles  with  painted  cheeks. 


CITOYENNE  JOSEPHINE  BONAPARTE.  133 

It  was  a  long  and  brilliant  procession  with  which  Mme.  General 
Bonaparte  made  her  entrance  into  Rastadt,  and  the  last  of  the  car- 
riages had  not  yet  reached  the  gate,  when  Josephine's  carriage  had 
already  arrived  on  the  market-place  and  halted  in  front  of  the  house 
she  was  to  occupy  with  her  husband.  Before  the  footman  had  had 
time  to  alight  from  the  box,  Josephine  herself  had  already  opened 
the  coach  door  in  order  to  meet  the  young  ladies  who  were  waiting 
for  her  at  the  door  of  her  house,  and  to  give  them  a  flattering  proof 
of  her  affability.  In  polite  haste  she  descended  from  the  carriage  and 
stepped  into  their  midst,  tendering  her  hands  to  those  immediately 
surrounding  her,  and  whispering  grateful  words  of  thanks  to  them 
for  the  beautiful  flowers  and  fruits,  and  thanking  the  more  distant 
girls  with  winning  nods  and  smiling  glances.  Her  manners  were 
aristocratic  and  withal  simple ;  every  gesture  of  hers,  every  nod, 
every  wave  of  her  hand  was  queenly  and  yet  modest,  unassuming 
and  entirely  devoid  of  haughtiness,  just  as  it  behooved  a  prominent 
daughter  of  the  great  Republic  which  had  chosen  for  her  motto 
" Liberte,  egalite,  fraternite." 

Laden  with  flowers,  and  laughing  as  merrily  as  a  young  girl, 
Josephine  finally  entered  the  house ;  in  the  hall  of  the  latter  the 
ladies  of  the  French  ambassadors,  the  wives  and  daughters  of  Bon- 
nier Reberjot  and  Jean  Debry,  were  waiting  for  her.  Josephine, 
who  among  the  young  girls  just  now  had  been  all  hilarity,  grace, 
and  familiarity,  now  again  assumed  the  bearing  of  a  distinguished 
lady,  of  the  consort  of  General  Bonaparte,  and  received  the  saluta- 
tions of  the  ladies  with  condescending  reserve.  She  handed,  how- 
ever, to  each  of  the  ladies  one  of  her  splendid  bouquets,  and  had  a 
pleasant  word  for  every  one.  On  arriving  at  the  door  of  the  rooms 
destined  for  her  private  use,  she  dismissed  the  ladies  and  beckoned 
her  maid  to  follow  her. 

"Now,  Amelia,"  she  said  hurriedly,  as  soon  as  the  door  had  closed 
behind  them — "  now  let  us  immediately  attend  to  my  wardrobe.  I 
know  Bonaparte — he  is  always  impetuous  and  impatient,  and  he 
regularly  arrives  sooner  than  he  has  stated  himself.  He  was  to  be 
here  at  two  o'clock,  but  he  will  arrive  at  one  o'clock,  and  it  is  now 
almost  noon.  Have  the  trunks  brought  up  at  once,  for  it  is  high 
time  for  me  to  dress. " 

Amelia  hastened  to  carry  out  her  mistress's  orders,  and  Josephine 
was  alone.  She  hurriedly  stepped  to  the  large  looking-glass  in  the 
bedroom  and  closely  scanned  in  it  her  own  features. 

"Oh,  oh!  I  am  growing  old,"  she  muttered  after  a  while. 
"  Bonaparte  must  love  me  tenderly,  very  tenderly,  not  to  notice  it, 
or  I  must  use  great  skill  not  to  let  him  see  it.  Eh  Irien,  nous  verrons ! " 

And  she  glanced  at  herself  with  such  a  triumphant,  charming 


134  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

smile  that  her  features  at  once  seemed  to  grow  younger  by  ten  years. 
"  Oh,  he  shall  find  me  beautiful— he  shall  love  me, "  she  whispered, 
"for  I  love  him  so  tenderly." 

Just  then  Amelia  entered  loaded  with  bandboxes  and  cartons, 
and  followed  by  the  servants  carrying  the  heavy  trunks.  Josephine 
personally  superintended  the  lowering  of  the  trunks  for  the  purpose 
of  preventing  the  men  from  injuring  any  of  those  delicate  cartons; 
and  when  every  thing  was  at  last  duly  arranged,  she  looked  around 
with  the  triumphant  air  of  a  great  general  mustering  his  troops  and 
conceiving  the  plans  for  his  battle. 

"  Now  lock  the  door  and  admit  no  one,  Amelia, "  she  said,  rapidly 
divesting  herself  of  her  travelling-dress.  "Within  an  hour  I  must 
be  ready  to  receive  the  general.  But  stop  !  We  must  first  think  of 
Zephyr,  who  is  sick  and  exhausted.  The  dear  little  fellow  cannot 
stand  travelling  in  a  coach.  He  frequently  looked  at  me  on  the 
road  most  dolorously  and  imploringly,  as  if  he  wanted  to  beseech 
me  to  discontinue  these  eternal  travels.  Come,  Zephyr ;  come,  my 
dear  little  fellow. " 

On  hearing  her  voice,  a  small,  fat  pug-dog,  with  a  morose  face 
and  a  black  nose,  arose  from  the  trunk  on  which  he  had  been  lying, 
and  waddled  slowly  and  lazily  to  his  mistress. 

"  I  really  believe  Zephyr  is  angry  with  me, "  exclaimed  Josephine, 
laughing  heartily.  "Just  look  at  him,  Amelia — just  notice  this 
reserved  twinkling  of  his  eyes,  this  snuffling  pug-nose  of  his,  this 
proudly-erect  head  that  seems  to  smell  roast  meat  and  at  the  same 
time  to  utter  invectives  !  He  exactly  resembles  my  friend  Tallien 
when  the  latter  is  making  love  to  the  ladies.  Come,  my  little  Tal- 
lien, I  will  give  you  some  sweetmeats,  but  in  return  you  must  be 
kind  and  amiable  toward  Bonaparte  ;  you  must  not  bark  so  furiously 
when  he  enters  ;  you  must  not  snap  at  his  legs  when  he  gives  me  a 
kiss  ;  you  must  not  snarl  when  he  inadvertently  steps  on  your  toes. 
Oh,  be  gentle,  kind,  and  amiable,  my  beautiful  Zephyr,  so  as  not  to 
exasperate  Bonaparte,  for  you  know  very  well  that  he  does  not  like 
dogs,  and  that  he  would  throw  you  out  of  the  window  rather  than 
suffer  you  at  my  feet. " 

Patting  the  dog  tenderly,  she  lifted  him  upon  an  arm-chair,  and 
then  spread  out  biscuits  and  sweetmeats  before  him,  which  Zephyr 
commenced  examining  with  a  dignified  snuffling  of  the  nose. 

"Now,  Amelia,  we  will  attend  to  my  toilet,"  said  Josephine, 
when  she  saw  that  Zephyr  condescended  to  eat  some  of  the  biscuits. 

Amelia  had  opened  all  the  trunks  and  placed  a  large  number  of 
small  jars  and  vials  on  the  dressing-table.  Josephine's  beauty  stood 
already  in  need  of  some  assistance,  and  the  amiable  lady  was  by  no 
means  disinclined  to  resort  to  cosmetics  for  this  purpose.  It  is  true, 


CITOYENNE  JOSEPHINE  BONAPARTE.  135 

the  republican  customs  of  the  times  despised  rouge,  for  the  latter 
had  been  very  fashionable  during  the  reign  of  the  "  tyrant"  Louis 
XVI. ,  and  Marie  Antoinette  had  greatly  patronized  this  fashion  and 
always  painted  her  cheeks.  Nevertheless  Josephine  found  rouge  to 
be  an  indispensable  complement  to  beauty,  and,  as  public  opinion 
was  adverse  to  it,  she  kept  her  use  of  it  profoundly  secret.  Amelia 
alone  saw  and  knew  it — Amelia  alone  was  a  witness  to  all  the  little 
secrets  and  artifices  by  which  Josephine,  the  woman  of  thirty-three 
years,  had  to  bolster  up  her  beauty.  But  only  the  head  stood  in  need 
of  some  artificial  assistance.  The  body  was  as  yet  youthful,  prepos- 
sessing, and  remarkable  for  its  attractiveness  and  luxuriant  forms, 
and  when  Josephine  now  had  finished  her  task,  she  was  truly  a 
woman  of  enchanting  beauty  and  loveliness.  Her  eyes  were  so 
radiant  and  fiery,  her  smile  so  sweet  and  sure  of  her  impending'tri- 
umph,  and  the  heavy  white  silk  dress  closely  enveloped  her  figure, 
lending  an  additional  charm  to  its  graceful  and  classical  outlines. 

"Now,  a  few  jewels,"  said  Josephine  ;  "give  me  some  diamonds, 
Amelia  ;  Bonaparte  likes  brilliant,  sparkling  trinkets.  Come,  I  will 
select  them  myself. " 

She  took  from  Amelia's  hands  the  large  case  containing  all  of 
her  caskets,  and  glanced  at  them  with  a  smile  of  great  satisfaction. 

"  Italy  is  very  rich  in  precious  trinkets  and  rare  gems, "  she  said, 
with  a  gentle  shake  of  her  head.  "  When,  a  few  months  ago,  I  came 
thither  from  Paris,  I  had  only  three  caskets,  and  the  jewelry  they 
contained  was  not  very  valuable.  Now,  I  count  here  twenty-four 
etuis,  and  they  are  filled  with  the  choicest  trinkets.  Just  look  at 
these  magnificent  pearls  which  the  Marquis  de  Lambertin  has  given 
to  me.  He  is  an  old  man,  and  I  could  not  refuse  his  princely  gift. 
This  casket  contains  a  bracelet  which  Manciui,  the  last  Doge  of 
Venice,  presented  to  me,  and  which  he  assured  me  was  wrought  by 
Benvenuto  Cellini  for  one  of  his  great-great-grandmothers.  This 
splendid  set  of  corals  and  diamonds  was  given  to  me  by  the  city  of 
Genoa  when  she  implored  my  protection  and  begged  me  to  inter- 
cede with  Bonaparte  for  her.  And  here — but  do  you  not  hear  the 
shouts?  What  does  it  mean?  Should  Bonaparte—" 

She  did  not  finish  the  sentence,  but  hastened  to  the  window. 
The  market-place,  which  she  was  able  to  overlook  from  there,  was 
now  crowded  with  people,  but  the  dense  masses  had  not  assembled 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  Josephine.  All  eyes  were  directed  toward 
yonder  street  from  which  constantly  fresh  and  jubilant  crowds  of 
people  were  hurrying  toward  the  market-place,  and  where  tremen- 
dous cheers,  approaching  closer  and  closer,  resounded  like  the  angry 
roar  of  the  sea.  Now  some  white  dots  might  be  discerned  in  the 
midst  of  the  surging  black  mass.  They  came  nearer  and  grew  more 


136  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

distinct ;  these  dots  were  the  heads  of  white  horses.  They  advanced 
very  slowly,  but  the  cheers  made  the  welkin  ring  more  rapidly  and 
were  reechoed  by  thousands  and  thousands  of  voices. 

Amidst  these  jubilant  cheers  the  procession  drew  near ;  now  it 
turned  from  the  street  into  the  market-place.  Josephine,  uttering 
a  joyful  cry,  opened  the  window  and  waved  her  hand,  for  it  was 
Bonaparte  whom  the  excited  masses  were  cheering. 

He  sat  all  alone  in  an  open  barouche,  drawn  by  six  milk-white 
horses  magnificently  caparisoned  in  a  silver  harness.* 

Leaning  back  into  the  cushions  in  a  careless  and  fatigued  man- 
ner, he  scarcely  seemed  to  notice  the  tremendous  ovation  that  was 
tendered  to  him.  His  face  looked  pale  and  tired  ;  a  cloud  had  settled 
on  his  expansive  marble  forehead,  and  when  he  from  time  to  time 
bowed  his  thanks,  he  did  so  with  a  weary  and  melancholy  smile. 
But  it  was  exactly  this  cold,  tranquil  demeanor,  this  humble  reserve, 
this  pale  and  gloomy  countenance  that  seemed  to  strike  the  specta- 
tors and  fill  them  with  a  feeling  of  strange  delight  and  wondering 
awe.  In  this  pale,  cold,  sombre,  and  imposing  face  there  was 
scarcely  a  feature  that  seemed  to  belong  to  a  mortal,  earth-born 
being.  It  seemed  as  though  the  spectre  of  one  of  the  old  Roman 
imperators,  as  though  the  shadow  of  Julius  Caesar  had  taken  a  seat 
in  that  carriage,  and  allowed  the  milk-white  horses  to  draw  him 
into  the  surging  bustle  and  turmoil  of  life.  People  were  cheering 
half  from  astonishment,  half  from  fear  ;  they  were  shouting,  "  Long 
live  Bonaparte  !"  as  if  they  wanted  to  satisfy  themselves  that  he  was 
really  alive,  and  not  merely  the  image  of  an  antique  imperator. 

The  carriage  now  stopped  in  front  of  the  house.  Before  rising 
from  his  seat,  Bonaparte  raised  his  eyes  hastily  to  the  windows. 
On  seeing  Josephine,  who  stood  at  the  open  window,  his  features 
became  more  animated,  and  a  long,  fiery  flash  from  his  eyes  struck 
her  face.  But  he  did  not  salute  her,  and  the  cloud  on  his  brow  grew 
even  gloomier  than  before. 

"He  is  in  bad  humor  and  angry,"  whispered  Josephine,  closing 
the  window,  "  and  I  am  afraid  he  is  angry  with  me.  Good  Heaven  ! 
what  can  it  be  again  ?  What  may  be  the  cause  of  his  anger  ?  I  am 
sure  I  have  committed  no  imprudence — " 

Just  then  the  door  was  hastily  opened,  and  Bonaparte  entered. 

*  "  These  six  horses  with  their  magnificent  harness  were  a  gift  from  the  Emperor 
of  Austria,  who  had  presented  them  to  Bonaparte  after  the  peace  of  Campo  Formio. 
Bonaparte  had  rejected  all  other  offers."— Bourrienne,  vol.  i.,  p.  389. 


BONAPARTE  AND  JOSEPHINE.  137 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

BONAPARTE  AND  JOSEPHINE. 

BONAPARTE  had  scacrely  deigned  to  glance  at  the  French  ambas- 
sadors and  their  ladies,  who  had  received  him  at  the  foot  of  the 
staircase.  All  his  thoughts  centred  in  Josephine.  And  bowing 
slightly  to  the  ladies  and  gentlemen,  he  had  impetuously  rushed  up- 
stairs and  opened  the  door,  satisfied  that  she  would  be  there  and 
receive  him  with  open  arms.  When  he  did  not  see  her,  he  passed 
on,  pale,  with  a  gloomy  face,  and  resembling  an  angry  lion. 

Thus  he  now  rushed  into  the  front  room  where  he  found  Jose- 
phine. Without  saluting  her,  and  merely  fixing  his  flashing  eyes 
upon  her,  he  asked  in  a  subdued,  angry  voice :  "  Madame,  you  do 
not  even  deem  it  worth  the  trouble  to  salute  me  !  You  do  not  come 
to  meet  me !" 

"But,  Bonaparte,  you  have  given  me  no  time  for  it,"  said  Jose- 
phine, with  a  charming  smile.  "While  I  thought  you  were  just 
about  to  alight  from  your  carriage,  you  burst  already  into  this  room 
like  a  thunder-bolt  from  heaven." 

"  Oh,  and  that  has  dazzled  your  eyes  so  much  that  you  are  even 
unable  to  salute  me?"  he  asked  angrily. 

"And  you,  Bonaparte?"  she  asked,  tenderly.  "  You  do  not  open 
your  arms  to  me !  You  do  not  welcome  me  !  Instead  of  pressing 
me  to  your  heart,  you  scold  me !  Oh,  come,  my  friend,  let  us  not 
pass  this  first  hour  in  so  unpleasant  a  manner  1  We  have  not  seen 
each  other  for  almost  two  months,  and — " 

"Ah,  madame,  then  you  know  that  at  least,"  exclaimed  Bona- 
parte ;  "  then  you  have  not  entirely  forgotten  that  you  took  leave  of 
me  two  months  ago,  and  that  you  swore  to  me  at  that  time  eternal 
love  and  fidelity,  and  promised  most  sacredly  to  write  to  me  every 
day.  You  have  not  kept  your  oaths  and  pledges,  madame  !" 

"  But,  my  friend,  I  have  written  to  you  whenever  I  was  told  that 
a  courier  would  set  out  for  your  headquarters. " 

"  You  ought  to  have  sent  every  day  a  courier  of  your  own  for  the 
purpose  of  transmitting  your  letters  to  me, "  exclaimed  Bonaparte, 
wildly  stamping  his  foot,  so  that  the  jars  and  vials  on  the  table 
rattled  violently,  while  Zephyr  jumped  down  from  his  arm-chair 
and  commenced  snarling.  Josephine  looked  anxiously  at  him  and 
tried  to  calm  him  by  her  gestures. 

Bonaparte  continued  :  "  Letters !  But  those  scraps  I  received 
from  time  to  time  were  not  even  letters.  Official  bulletins  of  your 
health  they  were,  and  as  cold  as  ice.  Madame,  how  could  you  write 


138  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

such  letters  to  me,  and  moreover  only  every  fourth  day?  If  you 
really  loved  me,  you  would  have  written  every  day.  But  you  do 
not  love  me  any  longer  ;  I  know  it.  Your  love  was  but  a  passing 
whim.  You  feel  now  how  ridiculous  it  would  be  for  you  to  love  a 
poor  man  who  is  nothing  but  a  soldier,  and  who  has  to  offer  nothing 
to  you  but  a  little  glory  and  his  love.  But  I  shall  banish  this  love 
from  my  heart,  should  I  have  to  tear  my  heart  with  my  own  teeth. "  * 

"  Bonaparte, "  exclaimed  Josephine,  half  tenderly,  half  anxiously, 
"  what  have  I  done  that  you  should  be  angry  with  me?  Why  do  you 
accuse  me  of  indifference,  while  you  know  very  well  that  I  love 
you?" 

"  Ah,  it  is  a  very  cold  love,  at  all  events, "  he  said,  sarcastically. 
"  It  is  true,  I  am  only  your  husband,  and  it  is  not  in  accordance  with 
aristocratic  manners  to  love  one's  husband ;  that  is  mean,  vulgar, 
republican !  But  I  am  a  republican,  and  I  do  not  want  any  wife 
with  the  manners  and  habits  of  the  ancien  regime.  I  am  your  hus- 
band, but  woe  to  him  who  seeks  to  become  my  wife's  lover !  I 
would  not  even  need  my  sword  in  order  to  kill  him.  My  eyes  alone 
would  crush  him  !  f  And  I  shall  know  how  to  find  him  ;  and  if  he 
should  escape  to  the  most  remote  regions,  my  arm  is  a  far-reaching 
one,  and  I  will  extend  it  over  the  whole  world  in  order  to  grasp 
him." 

"But  whom  do  you  allude  to?"  asked  Josephine,  in  dismay. 

"Whom?"  he  exclaimed  in  a  thundering  voice.  "Ah,  madame, 
you  believe  I  do  not  know  what  has  occurred  ?  You  believe  I  see 
and  hear  nothing  when  I  am  no  longer  with  you?  Let  me  compli- 
ment you,  madame !  The  handsome  aide-de-camp  of  Leclerc  is  a 
conquest  which  the  ladies  of  Milan  must  have  been  jealous  of  ;  and 
Botot,  the  spy,  whom  Barras  sent  after  me,  passes  even  at  Paris  for 
an  Adonis.  What  do  you  mean  by  your  familiarities  with  these 
two  men,  madame?  You  received  Adjutant  Charles  at  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  while  you  never  leave  your  bed  before  one 
o'clock.  Oh,  that  handsome  young  fellow  wanted  to  tell  you  how 
he  was  yearning  for  his  home  in  Paris,  and  what  his  mother  and 
sister  had  written  to  him,  I  suppose?  For  that  reason  so  convenient 
an  hour  had  to  be  chosen?  For  that  reason  he  came  at  eleven  o'clock 
while  you  were  in  bed  yet.  His  ardor  was  so  intense,  and  if  he  had 
been  compelled  to  wait  until  one  o'clock,  impatience  would  have 
burned  his  soul  to  ashes  !"  \ 

"  He  wanted  to  set  out  for  Paris  precisely  at  twelve  o'clock.     That 

*  Bonaparte's  own  words.— Vide  "Lettres  &  Jos6phine.    M6moires  d'une  Con- 
temporainc,"  vol.  I.,  p.  353. 

t  Bonaparte's  own  words. — Ibid. 

t  Bonaparte's  own  words.— Vide  "M6moires  d'un  Contemporaine,"  vol.  ii. ,  p.  360. 


BONAPARTE  AND  JOSEPHINE.  139 

was  the  only  reason  why  I  received  him  so  early,  my  friend, "  said 
Josephine,  gently. 

"Oh,  then,  you  do  not  deny  that  you  have  actually  received 
him?"  shouted  Bonaparte,  and  his  face  turned  livid.  With  flaming 
eyes  and  uplifted  hand,  he  stepped  up  close  to  Josephine.  "  Madame, " 
he  exclaimed,  in  a  thundering  voice,  "  then  you  dare  to  acknowl- 
edge that  Charles  is  your  lover?" 

Before  Josephine  had  time  to  reply  to  him  Zephyr,  who  saw  him 
threaten  his  mistress,  furiously  pounced  upon  Bonaparte,  barking 
and  howling,  showing  his  teeth,  and  quite  ready  to  lacerate  whom 
he  supposed  to  be  Josephine's  enemy. 

"  Ah,  this  accursed  dog  is  here,  too,  to  torment  me  !"  exclaimed 
Bonaparte,  and  raising  his  foot,  he  stamped  with  crushing  force  on 
the  body  of  the  little  dog.  A  single  piercing  yell  was  heard ;  then 
the  blood  gushed  from  Zephyr's  mouth,  and  the  poor  beast  lay 
writhing  convulsively  on  the  floor.  * 

"  Bonaparte,  you  have  killed  my  dog, "  exclaimed  Josephine,  re- 
proachfully, and  bent  over  the  dying  animal. 

"  Yes, "  he  said,  with  an  air  of  savage  joy,  "  I  have  killed  your 
dog,  and  in  the  same  manner  I  shall  crush  every  living  being  that 
dares  to  step  between  you  and  myself  !" 

Josephine  had  taken  no  notice  of  his  words.  She  had  knelt  down 
by  the  side  of  the  dog,  and  tenderly  patted  his  head  and  writhing 
limbs  till  they  ceased  moving. 

"Zephyr  is  dead, "  she  said  rising.  "Poor  little  fellow,  he  died 
because  he  loved  me.  Pardon  me,  general,  if  I  weep  for  him.  But 
Zephyr  was  a  cherished  souvenir  from  a  friend  who  died  only  a  short 
while  ago.  General  Hoche  had  given  the  dog  to  me. " 

"Hoche?"  asked  Bonaparte,  in  some  confusion. 

"  Yes,  Lazarus  Hoche,  who  died  a  few  weeks  ago.  A  few  days 
before  his  death  he  sent  the  dog  to  me  while  at  Milan — Lazarus 
Hoche  who,  you  know  it  very  well,  loved  me,  and  whose  hand  I 
rejected  because  I  loved  you, "  said  Josephine,  with  a  noble  dignity 
and  calmness,  which  made  a  deeper  impression  upon  Bonaparte  than 
the  most  poignant  rebuke  would  have  done. 

"And  now,  general,"  she  proceeded,  "I  will  reply  to  your  re- 
proaches. I  do  not  say  that  I  shall  justify  myself,  because  I  thereby 
would  acknowledge  the  justice  of  your  charges,  but  I  will  merely 
answer  them.  I  told  you  already  why  I  admitted  Charles  at  so  early 
an  hour.  He  was  about  to  set  out  for  Paris,  and  I  wished  to  intrust 
to  him  important  and  secret  letters  and  other  commissions. " 

"Why  did  not  you  send  them  by  a  special  courier?"  asked  Bona- 
parte, but  in  a  much  gentler  voice  than  before. 

*  Vido  "Eheinischer-Antiquar.,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  574. 

MUHLBACU — ft  VOI,.    1 


140  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

"  Because  it  would  have  been  dangerous  to  send  my  letters  to 
Botot  by  a  courier, "  said  Josephine,  calmly. 

"To  Botot?  Then  you  admit  your  familiarities  with  Botot,  toe? 
People  did  not  deceive  me,  then,  when  they  told  me  that  you  re- 
ceived this  spy  Botot,  whom  Barras  had  sent  after  me,  in  order  to 
watch  me,  every  morning  in  your  boudoir — that  you  always  sent 
your  maid  away  as  soon  as  he  came,  and  that  your  interviews  with 
him  frequently  lasted  for  hours?" 

"  That  is  quite  true ;  I  do  not  deny  it, "  said  Josephine,  proudly. 

Bonaparte  uttered  an  oath,  and  was  about  to  rush  at  her.  But 
she  receded  a  step,  and  pointing  at  the  dead  dog  with  a  rapid  ges- 
ture, she  said  :  "  General,  take  care  !  There  is  no  other  dog  here  for 
you  to  kill,  and  I  am  only  a  weak,  defenceless  woman ;  it  would 
assuredly  not  behoove  the  victor  of  Arcole  to  attack  me  !" 

Bonaparte  dropped  his  arm,  and,  evidently  ashamed  of  himself, 
stepped  back  several  paces. 

"  Then  you  do  not  deny  your  intimate  intercourse  with  Botot  and 
Charles?" 

"  I  do  not  deny  that  both  of  them  love  me,  that  I  know  it,  and 
that  I  have  taken  advantage  of  their  love.  Listen  to  me,  general : 
I  have  taken  advantage  of  their  love.  That  is  mean  and  abominable  ; 
it  is  playing  in  an  execrable  manner  with  the  most  exalted  feelings 
of  others,  I  know  it  very  well,  but  I  did  so  for  your  sake,  general — I 
did  so  in  your  interest. " 

"In  my  interest?"  asked  Bonaparte,  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,  in  your  interest, "  she  said.  "  Now  I  can  tell  and  confess 
every  thing  to  you.  But  as  long  as  Charles  and  Botot  were  present, 
I  could  not  do  so,  for  if  you  had  ceased  being  jealous — if,  warned 
by  myself,  you  had  treated  these  two  men  kindly  instead  of  showing 
your  jealous  distrust  of  them  by  a  hostile  and  surly  demeanor,  they 
might  have  suspected  my  game  and  divined  my  intrigue,  and  I 
would  have  been  unable  to  avail  myself  any  longer  of  their  services. " 

"But,  for  God's  sake,  tell  me  what  did  you  need  their  services 
for?" 

"Ah,  sir,  I  perceive  that  you  know  better  how  to  wield  the  sword 
than  unravel  intrigues,"  said  Josephine,  with  a  charming  smile. 
"  Well,  I  made  use  of  my  two  lovers  in  order  to  draw  their  secrets 
from  them.  And  secrets  they  had,  general,  for  you  know  Botot  is 
the  most  intimate  and  influential  friend  of  Barras,  and  Madame 
Tallien  adores  Charles,  the  handsome  aide-de-camp.  She  has  no 
secrets  that  he  is  not  fully  aware  of,  and  she  does  whatever  he  wants 
her  to  do  ;  and  again,  whatever  she  wants  to  be  done,  her  husband 
will  do — her  husband,  that  excellent  Tallien,  who  with  Barras  is  one 
of  the  five  directors  of  our  republic. " 


BONAPARTE  AND  JOSEPHINE.  141 

"  Oh,  women,  women !  "  muttered  Bonaparte. 

Josephine  continued :  "  In  this  manner,  general,  I  learned  every 
scheme  and  almost  every  idea  of  the  Directory;  in  this  manner, 
through  my  devoted  friends,  Botot  and  Charles,  I  have  succeeded  in 
averting  many  a  foul  blow  from  your  own  head.  For  you  were  men- 
aced, general,  and  you  are  menaced  still.  And  what  is  menacing  -youT 
That  is  your  glory  and  your  greatness — it  is  the  jealousy  of  the  five 
kings  of  France,  who,  under  the  name  of  directors,  are  now  reign- 
ing at  the  Luxemburg.  The  Quintumvirate  beheld  your  growing 
power  and  glory  with  terror  and  wrath,  and  all  endeavors  of  theirs 
only  aimed  at  lessening  your  influence.  A  favorite  way  of  theirs  for 
carrying  out  their  designs  against  you  was  the  circulation  of  false 
news  concerning  you.  Botot  told  me  that  Barras  had  even  hired 
editors  to  write  against  you,  and  to  question  your  integrity.  These 
editors  now  published  letters  purporting  to  come  from  Verona,  and 
announcing  that  Bonaparte  was  about  to  proclaim  himself  dictator. 
Then,  again,  they  stated  in  some  letter  from  the  frontier,  or  from  a 
foreign  country,  that  the  whole  of  Lombardy  was  again  on  the  eve 
of  an  insurrection  ;  that  the  Italians  detested  the  tyranny  imposed 
upon  them  by  the  conqueror,  and  that  they  were  anxious  to  recall 
their  former  sovereigns. " 

"Ah,  the  miserable  villains !"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  gnashing  his 
teeth,  "I—" 

"  Hush,  general !  listen  to  my  whole  reply  to  your  reproaches, " 
said  Josephine,  with  imperious  calmness.  "  At  some  other  time  these 
hirelings  of  the  press  announced  in  a  letter  from  Turin  that  an 
extensive  conspiracy  was  about  to  break  out  at  Paris  ;  that  the  Direc- 
tory was  to  be  overthrown  by  this  conspiracy,  and  that  a  dictator- 
ship, at  the  head  of  which  Bonaparte  would  be,  was  to  take  place. 
They  further  circulated  the  news  all  over  the  departments,  that  the 
ringleaders  of  the  plot  had  been  arrested  and  sent  to  the  military 
commissions  for  trial ;  but  that  the  conqueror  of  Italy  had  deemed  it 
prudent  to  avoid  arrest  by  running  away. "  * 

"  That  is  a  truly  infernal  web  of  lies  and  infamies  !"  ejaculated 
Bonaparte,  furiously.  "  But  I  shall  justify  myself,  I  will  go  to  Paris 
and  hurl  the  calumnies  of  these  miserable  Directors  back  into  their 
teeth !" 

"  General,  there  is  no  necessity  for  you  to  descend  into  the  arena 
in  order  to  defend  yourself,"  said  Josephine,  smiling.  "Your 
actions  speak  for  you,  and  your  friends  are  watching  over  you. 
Whenever  such  an  article  appeared  in  the  newspapers,  Botot  for- 
warded it  to  me ;  whenever  the  Directory  sprang  a  new  mine,  Botot 
sent  me  word  of  it.  And  tnen  I  enlisted  the  assistance  of  my  friend 
*  Le  Normand,  AI6moires,  vol.  i.,  p.  267. 


142  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Charles,  and  he  had  to  refute  those  articles  through  a  journalist  who 
was  in  my  pay,  and  to  foil  the  mine  by  means  of  a  counter-mine. " 

"  Oh,  Josephine,  how  can  I  thank  you  for  what  you  have  done 
forme!"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  enthusiastically.  "How — " 

"  I  am  not  through  yet,  general, "  she  interrupted  him,  coldly. 
"  Those  refutations  and  the  true  accounts  of  your  glorious  deeds  found 
an  enthusiastic  echo  throughout  the  whole  of  France,  and  every  one 
was  anxious  to  see  you  in  the  full  splendor  of  your  glory,  and  to  do 
homage  to  you  at  'Paris.  But  the  jealous  Directory  calculated  in 
advance  how  dangerous  the  splendor  of  your  glory  would  be  to  the 
statesmen  of  the  Republic,  and  how  greatly  your  return  would 
eclipse  the  five  kings.  For  that  reason  they  resolved  to  keep  you 
away  from  Paris ;  for  that  reason  exclusively  they  appointed  you 
first  plenipotentiary  at  the  congress  about  to  be  opened  at  Rastadt, 
and  intrusted  the  task  to  you  to  exert  yourself  here  for  the  conclu- 
sion of  peace.  They  wanted  to  chain  the  lion  and  make  him  feel 
that  he  has  got  a  master  whom  he  must  obey. " 

"  But  the  lion  will  break  the  chain,  and  he  will  not  obey, "  ex- 
claimed Bonaparte,  angrily.  "I  shall  leave  Rastadt  on  this  very 
day  and  hasten  to  Paris. "  . 

"Wait  a  few  days,  general,"  said  Josephine,  smiling.  "It  will 
be  unnecessary  for  you  to  take  violent  steps,  my  friends  Botot  and 
Charles  having  worked  with  me  for  you.  Botot  alone  not  being 
sufficiently  powerful,  inasmuch  as  he  could  influence  none  but 
Barras,  I  sent  Charles  to  his  assistance  in  order  to  act  upon  Madame 
Tallien.  And  the  stratagem  was  successful.  Take  this  letter  which 
I  received  only  yesterday  through  a  special  messenger  from  Botot — 
you  know  Botot 's  handwriting,  I  suppose?" 

"Yes,  I  know  it." 

"Well,  then,  satisfy  yourself  that  he  has  really  written  it,"  said 
Josephine,  drawing  a  sheet  of  paper  from  her  memorandum -boolj 
and  handing  it  to  Bonaparte. 

He  glanced  at  it  without  touching  the  paper.  "  Yes,  it  is  Botot's 
handwriting, "  he  murmured. 

"  Read  it,  general, "  said  Josephine. 

"  I  do  not  want  to  read  it ;  I  believe  all  you  tell  me !"  he  ex- 
claimed, impetuously. 

"I  shall  read  it  to  you,"  she  said,  "for  the  contents  will  interest 
you.  Listen  therefore:  'Adored  Citoyenne  Josephine. — We  have 
reached  the  goal — we  have  conquered !  The  Directory  have  at  length 
listened  to  wise  remonstrances.  They  have  perceived  that  they 
stand  in  need  of  a  strong  and  powerful  arm  to  support  them,  and  of 
a  pillar  to  lean  against.  They  will  recall  Bonaparte  in  order  that  he 
may  become  their  pillar  and  arm.  In  a  few  days  a  courier  will 


BONAPARTE  AND  JOSEPHINE.  143 

reach  Bonaparte  at  Rastadt  and  recall  him  to  Paris.  — BOTOT.  '  That 
is  all  there  is  in  the  letter,  General ;  it  contains  nothing  about  love, 
but  only  speaks  of  you. " 

"  I  see  that  I  am  the  happiest  of  mortals, "  exclaimed  Bonaparte, 
joyfully  ;  "  for  I  shall  return  to  Paris,  and  my  beautiful,  noble,  and 
adored  Josephine  will  accompany  me. " 

"  No,  general, "  she  said,  solemnly,  "  I  shall  return  to  Italy ;  I 
shall  bury  myself  in  some  convent  in  order  to  weep  there  over  the 
short  dream  of  my  happiness,  and  to  pray  for  you.  Now  I  have 
told  you  every  thing  I  had  to  say  to  you.  I  have  replied  to  your 
reproaches.  You  see  that  I  have  meanly  profited  by  the  love  of 
these  poor  men,  that  I  have  made  a  disgraceful  use  of  the  most 
sacred  feeling  in  order  to  promote  your  interests.  I  did  so  secretly, 
for  I  told  you  already,  general,  your  valorous  hand  knows  better  how 
to  wield  the  sword  than  to  carry  on  intrigues.  A  strong  grasp  of  this 
hand  might  have  easily  destroyed  the  whole  artificial  web  of  my 
plans,  and  for  this  reason  I  was  silent.  But  I  counted  on  your  con- 
fidence, on  your  esteem.  I  perceive  now,  however,  that  I  do  not 
possess  them,  and  this  separates  us  forever.  Unreserved  confidence 
is  not  only  the  nourishment  that  imparts  life  to  friendship,  but 
without  it  love  also  pines  away  and  dies.*  Farewell,  then,  general ; 
I  forgive  your  distrust,  but  I  cannot  expose  myself  any  longer  to 
your  anger.  Farewell !" 

She  bowed  and  turned  to  the  door.  But  Bonaparte  followed  her, 
and  keeping  her  back  with  both  hands,  he  said,  in  a  voice  trembling 
with  emotion  :  "Where  are  you  going,  Josephine?" 

"  I  told  you  already, "  she  sighed,  painfully ;  "  I  am  going  to  a 
convent  to  weep  and  pray  for  you. " 

"  That  means  that  you  want  to  kill  me !"  he  exclaimed,  with 
flaming  eyes.  "  For  you  know  I  cannot  live  without  you.  If  I  had 
to  lose  you,  your  love,  your  charming  person,  I  would  lose  every 
thing  rendering  life  pleasant  and  desirable  for  me.  Josephine,  you 
are  to  me  a  world  that  is  incomprehensible  to  me,  and  every  day  I 
love  you  more  passionately.  Even  when  I  do  not  see  you,  my  love 
for  you  is  constantly  growing  ;  for  absence  only  destroys  small  pas- 
sions ;  it  increases  great  passions,  f  My  heart  never  felt  any  of  the 
former.  It  proudly  refused  to  fall  in  love,  but  you  have  filled  it 
with  a  boundless  passion,  with  an  intoxication  that  seems  to  be 
almost  degrading.  You  were  always  the  predominant  idea  of  my 
soul ;  your  whims  even  were  sacred  laws  for  me.  To  see  you  is  my 
highest  bliss ;  you  are  beautiful  and  enchanting ;  your  gentle, 
angelic  soul  is  depicted  in  your  features.  Oh,  I  adore  you  just  as 


*  Josephine's  own  words — Vide  Le  Normand,  vol.  i.,  p.  848. 
t Bonaparte's  words.— Vide  "Memoires  d'une  Contemporaine," 


voL  ii.,  p.  363. 


144  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

you  are ;  if  you  had  been  younger,  I  should  have  loved  you  less  in- 
tensely. Every  thing  you  do  seems  virtuous  to  me ;  every  thing 
you  like  seems  honorable  to  me.  Glory  is  only  valuable  to  me  in- 
asmuch as  it  is  agreeable  to  you  and  flatters  your  vanity.  Your 
portrait  always  rests  on  my  heart,  and  whenever  I  am  far  from  you, 
not  an  hour  passes  without  my  looking  at  it  and  covering  it  with 
kisses.  *  The  glass  broke  the  other  day  when  I  pressed  it  too  vio- 
lently against  my  breast.  My  despair  knew  no  bounds,  for  love  is 
superstitious,  and  every  thing  seems  ominous  to  it.  I  took  it  for  an 
announcement  of  your  death,  and  my  eyes  knew  no  sleep,  my  heart 
knew  no  rest,  till  the  courier  whom  I  immediately  dispatched  to 
you,  had  brought  me  the  news  that  you  were  well,  and  that  no  ac- 
cident had  befallen  you.  f  See,  woman,  woman,  such  is  my  love ! 
Will  you  now  tell  me  again  that  you  wish  to  leave  me?" 

"I  must,  general,"  she  said,  firmly.  "Love  cannot  be  lasting 
without  esteem,  and  you  do  not  esteem  me.  Your  suspicion  has 
dishonored  me,  and  a  dishonored  and  insulted  woman  cannot  be 
your  wife  any  longer.  Farewell !" 

She  wanted  to  disengage  herself  from  his  hands,  but  he  held  her 
only  the  more  firmly.  "Josephine,"  he  said,  in  a  hollow  voice, 
"  listen  to  me,  do  not  drive  me  to  despair,  for  it  would  kill  me  to 
lose  you.  No  duty,  no  title  would  attach  me  any  longer  to  earth. 
Men  are  so  contemptible,  life  is  so  wretched — you  alone  extinguish 
the  ignominy  of  mankind  in  my  eyes.  \  Without  you  there  is  no 
hope,  no  happiness.  I  love  you  boundlessly. " 

"  No,  general,  you  despise  me  ;  you  do  not  love  me !" 

"No,  no  !"  he  shouted,  wildly  stamping  his  foot.  "If  you  go  on 
in  this  manner,  I  shall  drop  dead  at  your  feet.  Do  not  torment  me 
so  dreadfully.  Remember  what  I  have  often  told  you  :  Nature  has 
given  to  me  a  strong,  decided  soul,  but  it  has  made  you  of  gauze 
and  lace.  You  say  I  do  not  love.  Hear  it,  then,  for  the  last  time. 
Since  you  have  been  away  from  me,  I  have  not  passed  a  single  day 
without  loving  you,  not  a  single  night  without  mentally  pressing 
you  to  my  heart.  I  have  not  taken  a  single  cup  of  tea  without 
cursing  the  glory  and  ambition  separating  me  from  the  soul  of  my 
life.§  Amidst  my  absorbing  occupations — at  the  head  of  my  troops, 
on  the  march  and  in  the  field — my  heavenly  Josephine  ever  was 
foremost  in  my  heart.  She  occupied  my  mind ;  she  absorbed  my 
thoughts.  If  I  left  you  with  the  impetuosity  of  the  Rhone,  I  only 
did  so  in  order  to  return  the  sooner  to  your  side.  If  I  ran  from  my 

*  Vide  "  Correspondance  in6dite  avec  Josfiphine,"  Lettre  v. 
t "  M6moires  sur  Napol6on,  par  Constant,"  vol.  i.,  p.  809. 
$  "  Correspondance  in6dite  avec  Josfiphine,"  p.  375. 
i  "  Correspondance,"  etc.,  p.  552. 


BONAPARTE  AND  JOSEPHINE.  145 

bed  at  night  and  continued  working,  I  did  so  for  the  purpose  of 
accelerating  the  moment  of  our  reunion.  The  most  beautiful  women 
surrounded  me,  smiled  upon  me,  gave  me  hopes  of  their  favor,  and 
tried  to  please  me,  but  none  of  them  resembled  you ;  none  had  the 
gentle  and  melodious  features  so  deeply  imprinted  on  my  heart.  I 
only  saw  you,  only  thought  of  you,  and  that  rendered  all  of  them 
intolerable  to  me.  I  left  the  most  beautiful  women  in  order  to  throw 
myself  on  my  couch  and  sigh,  'When  will  my  adored  wife  be  again 
with  me?'  *  And  if  I  just  now  gave  way  to  an  ebullition  of  anger, 
I  only  did  so  because  I  love  you  so  boundlessly  as  to  be  jealous  of 
every  glance,  of  every  smile.  Forgive  me,  therefore,  Josephine, 
forgive  me  for  the  sake  of  my  infinite  love  !  Tell  me  that  you  will 
think  no  more  of  it,  and  that  you  wilTf orget  and  forgive  every  thing. " 

He  looked  at  her  anxiously  and  inquiringly,  but  Josephine  did 
not  reply  to  his  glances.  She  averted  her  eyes  and  remained  silent. 

"  Josephine, "  he  exclaimed,  perfectly  beside  himself,  "  make  an 
end  of  it.  Just  touch  my  forehead  ;  it  is  covered  with  cold  perspira- 
tion, and  my  heart  is  trembling  as  it  never  trembled  in  battle. 
Make  an  end  of  it ;  I  am  utterly  exhausted.  Oh,  Josephine,  my 
dear  Josephine,  open  your  arms  to  me. " 

"  Well,  come  then,  you  dear,  cruel  husband, "  she  said,  bursting 
into  tears  and  extending  her  arms  to  him. 

Bonaparte  uttered  a  joyful  cry,  pressed  her  to  his  heart,  and 
covered  her  with  kisses. 

"  Now  I  am  sure  you  have  forgiven  every  thing, "  he  said,  encir- 
cling her  all  the  time  with  his  arms.  "  You  forgive  my  madness, 
my  abominable  jealousy?" 

"  I  forgive  every  thing,  Bonaparte,  if  you  will  promise  not  to  be 
jealous  again, "  she  said,  with  a  charming  smile. 

"  I  promise  never  to  be  jealous  again,  but  to  think,  whenever  you 
give  a  rendezvous  to  another  man,  that  you  only  do  so  for  my  sake, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  conspiring  for  me.  Ah,  my  excellent  wife, 
you  have  worked  bravely  for  me,  and  henceforth  I  know  that  I  can 
intrust  to  your  keeping  my  glory  and  my  honor  with  implicit  con- 
fidence. Yea,  even  the  helm  of  the  state  I  would  fearlessly  intrust 
to  your  hands.  Pray,  therefore,  Josephine,  pray  that  your  husband 
may  reach  the  pinnacle  of  distinction,  for  in  that  case  I  should  give 
you  a  seat  in  my  council  of  state  and  make  you  mistress  of  every 
thing  except  one  point — "  f 

"And  what  is  that?"  asked  Josephine,  eagerly. 

"  The  only  thing  I  should  not  intrust  to  you,  Josephine, "  he  said, 
laughing,  "  would  be  the  keys  of  my  treasury ;  you  never  would  get 

*  Ibid.,  p.  349. 

t  LeNormand,  vol.  L,  p.  241. 


146  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

them,  my  beautiful  prodigal  little  wife  of  gauze,  lace,  diamonds, 
and  pearls !"  * 

"Ah,  then  you  would  deprive  me  of  the  right  to  distribute  chari- 
ties in  your  name?"  she  asked,  sadly.  "  Is  not  that  the  most  precious 
and  sublime  duty  of  the  wife  of  a  great  man,  to  conquer  Heaven  for 
him  by  charities  while  he  is  conquering  earth  by  his  deeds?  And 
you  would  take  from  me  the  means  for  doing  so?  Yours  is  a  wild 
and  passionate  nature,  and  I  shall  often  have  to  heal  the  wounds  that 
you  have  inflicted  in  your  outbursts  of  anger.  Happy  for  me  if  I 
should  always  be  able  to  heal  them,  and  if  your  anger  should  be  less 
fatal  to  men  than  to  my  poor  little  dog,  who  merely  wanted  to  de- 
fend me  against  your  violence. " 

"Poor  little  dog!"  said  Bonaparte,  casting  a  glance  of  confusion 
upon  Zephyr.  "  I  greatly  regret  the  occurrence,  particularly  as  the 
dog  was  a  gift  from  Hoche.  But  no  lamentations  of  mine  being 
able  to  recall  Zephyr  to  life,  Josephine,  I  will  immortalize  him  at 
all  events.  He  shall  not  find  an  unknown  grave,  like  many  a  hero ; 
no,  we  will  erect  to  this  valiant  and  intrepid  defender  of  the  charm- 
ing fortress  Josephine,  a  monument  which  shall  relate  his  exploits 
to  the  most  remote  posterity.  Have  Zephyr  packed  up  in  a  box ; 
couriers  and  convoys  of  troops  will  set  out  to-day  for  Milan.  They 
shall  take  the  corpse  along,  and  I  will  issue  orders  that  a  monument 
be  erected  to  your  Zephyr  in  the  garden  of  our  villa,  f  But  now, 
Josephine,  I  must  leave  you  ;  life,  with  its  stern  realities,  is  calling 
me.  I  must  go  and  receive  the  Austrian  ambassadors. " 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  RECEPTION  OF  THE  AMBASSADORS. 

A  MOTLEY  crowd  of  gentlemen  in  uniforms  and  glittering  gala- 
dresses  had  filled  the  anterooms  of  the  French  embassy  ever  since 
the  arrival  of  General  Bonaparte  and  Josephine.  All  these  high- 
born representatives  of  German  sovereigns  and  states  hastened  to  do 
homage  to  the  French  lady  and  to  commend  themselves  to  the  be- 
nevolence and  favor  of  the  victorious  general  of  the  republic.  But 
the  doors  of  the  general  and  of  his  wife  were  as  difficult  to  open  as 
those  of  the  French  ambassadors,  Bonnier,  Jean  Debry,  and  Roberjot. 
General  Bonaparte  had  received  the  Austrian  ambassadors,  and 

*Ibid.,  vol.  i.,  p.  S42. 

t  Bonaparte  kept  his  word.  The  little  victim  of  his  jealousy,  Zephyr,  the  dog, 
was  buried  in  the  gardens  of  Mondeza,  near  Milan,  and  a  marble  monument  was 
erected  on  his  grave.— Le  Normand,  vol.  i.,  p.  498. 


THE  RECEPTION  OF  THE  AMBASSADORS.  147 

returned  their  visit.  But  nobody  else  had  been  admitted  to  him 
during  the  first  day.  The  ambassadors,  therefore,  flocked  the  more 
eagerly  on  this  second  day  after  his  arrival  to  the  anterooms  of  the 
French  ambassadors,  for  every  one  wanted  to  be  the  first  to  win  for 
his  sovereign  and  for  his  state  the  good- will  of  the  French  conqueror. 
Every  one  wished  to  obtain  advantages,  to  avert  mischief,  and  to 
beg  for  favors. 

Happy  were  they  already  who  had  only  succeeded  in  penetrating 
into  the  anterooms  of  the  French  embassy,  for  a  good  deal  of  money 
had  to  be  spent  in  order  to  open  those  doors.  In  front  of  them  stood 
the  footmen  of  the  ambassadors  with  grave,  stern  countenances,  re- 
fusing to  admit  any  but  those  who  had  been  previously  recommended 
to  them,  or  who  knew  now  how  to  gain  their  favor  by  substantial 
rewards.*  And  when  they  finally,  by  means  of  such  persuasive 
gifts,  had  succeeded  in  crossing  the  threshold  of  the  anteroom,  they 
found  there  the  clerks  and  secretaries  of  the  French  gentlemen,  and 
these  men  again  barred  the  door  of  the  cabinet  occupied  by  the  am- 
bassadors themselves.  These  clerks  and  secretaries  had  to  be  bribed 
likewise  by  solicitations,  flatteries,  and  money ;  only,  instead  of 
satisfying  them  with  silver,  as  in  the  case  of  the  doorkeepers,  they 
had  to  give  them  heavy  gold  pieces. 

Having  finally  overcome  all  these  obstacles — having  now  pene- 
trated into  the  presence  of  the  French  diplomatists — the  ambassadors 
of  the  German  powers  met  with  a  haughty  reserve  instead  of  the 
kindness  they  had  hoped  for,  and  with  sarcastic  sneers  in  lieu  of  a 
warm  reception.  It  was  in  vain  for  Germany  thus  to  humble  her- 
self and  to  crouch  in  the  dust.  France  was  too  well  aware  of  her 
victories  and  superiority,  and  the  servility  of  the  German  aristocracy 
only  excited  contempt  and  scorn,  which  the  French  gentlemen  did 
not  refrain  from  hurling  into  the  faces  of  the  humble  solicitors. 
The  greater  the  abjectness  of  the  latter,  the  more  overbearing  the 
haughty  demeanor  of  the  former,  and  both  gained  the  firm  convic- 
tion that  France  held  the  happiness  and  quiet  of  Germany  in  her 
hands,  and  that  France  alone  had  the  power  to  secure  to  the  German 
princes  the  possession  of  their  states,  to  enlarge  their  dominions,  or 
to  deprive  them  thereof,  just  as  she  pleased,  and  without  paying  any 
deference  to  the  wishes  of  the  Germans  themselves. 

To-day,  however,  all  these  distinguished  men — the  counts  and 
barons  of  the  empire,  the  bishops  and  other  ecclesiastical  dignitaries 

*  The  employes  of  the  French  embassy,  from  the  first  secretary  down  to  the  low- 
est footman  and  cook,  received  handsome  gifts  at  the  hands  of  the  German  delegates, 
for  every  one  was  anxious  to  secure  the  good-will  of  the  French  representatives;  and 
in  obedience  to  the  old  trick  of  diplomatists,  they  tried  to  gain  the  favor  of  the  masters 
by  means  of  that  of  their  servants.  The  latter  made  a  Tery  handsome  thing  out  of 
it.— Vide  Hausser,  vol.  ii.,  p.  163. 


148  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

— had  not  appeared  for  the  purpose  of  conquering  the  favor  of  the 
three  French  stars — to-day  a  new  constellation  had  arisen  on  the  sky 
of  Rastadt,  and  they  wanted  to  stare  at  it— they  wanted  to  admire 
Bonaparte  and  Josephine. 

But  Bonaparte  took  hardly  any  notice  of  the  crowd  assembled  in 
the  anteroom.  His  hands  folded  on  his  back,  he  was  pacing  his 
room,  and  listening  with  rapt  attention  to  the  accounts  the  three 
French  ambassadors  were  giving  him  concerning  the  policy  they 
had  pursued  up  to  the  present  time. 

"  We  have  done  eveiy  thing  in  our  power  to  spread  republican 
notions  hereabouts, "  said  Jean  Debry,  at  the  conclusion  of  his  lengthy 
remarks.  "  We  have  sent  agents  to  all  of  these  small  German  states 
for  the  purpose  of  enlightening  the  people  about  their  dignity,  their 
rights,  and  the  disgrace  of  submitting  to  miserable  princes,  instead 
of  being  free  and  great  under  the  wholesome  influence  of  republican 
institutions. " 

"  We  have,  moreover,  even  here,  excellent  spies  among  the  am- 
bassadors,"  said  Roberjot,  "and  through  them  we  have  skilfully 
fanned  the  flames  of  that  discord  which  seems  to  be  the  bane  of  Ger- 
many. It  is  true,  they  hold  secret  meetings  every  day  in  order  to 
agree  on  a  harmonious  line  of  policy,  but  discord,  jealousy,  and 
covetousness  always  accompany  them  to  those  meetings,  and  they 
are  therefore  never  able  to  agree  about  any  thing.  Besides,  these 
German  noblemen  are  very  talkative,  hence  we  find  out  all  their 
secrets,  and  it  is  an  easy  task  for  us  to  foil  every  scheme  of  theirs. 
Every  one  of  them  is  anxious  to  enlarge  his  possessions  ;  we  there- 
fore give  them  hopes  of  acquiring  new  territory  at  the  expense  of 
their  neighbors,  and  thereby  greatly  increase  the  discord  and  confu- 
sion prevailing  among  them.  We  fill  the  ambassadors  of  the  sec- 
ondary princes,  and  especially  those  of  the  ecclesiastical  sovereigns, 
with  distrust  against  the  more  powerful  German  states,  and  inti- 
mate to  them  that  the  latter  are  trying  to  aggrandize  themselves  at 
their  expense,  and  that  they  have  asked  the  consent  of  France  to  do 
BO.  We  inform  the  first- class  governments  of  the  desire  of  the 
smaller  princes  to  enlarge  their  dominions,  and  caution  them  against 
placing  implicit  trust  in  their  representations.  Thus  we  sow  the 
seeds  of  discord  among  these  princely  hirelings,  and  endeavor  to 
undermine  the  thrones  of  Germany." 

"  Germany  must  throw  off  all  her  princes  like  ripe  ulcers, "  ex- 
claimed Bonnier,  scornfully.  "  These  numerous  thrones  beyond  the 
Rhine  are  dangerous  and  fatal  to  our  sublime  and  indivisible  French 
Republic — bad  examples  spoiling  good  manners.  Every  throne 
must  disappear  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  freedom  and  equality 
must  shine  throughout  the  whole  world  like  the  sun. " 


THE  RECEPTION  OF  THE  AMBASSADORS.  149 

"You  are  right,"  said  Bonaparte,  gravely.  "It  is  our  duty  to 
disseminate  our  principles  among  these  Germans,  who  are  living  in 
slavery  as  yet,  and  to  assist  the  poor  serfs  in  obtaining  their  liberty. 
Germany  must  become  a  confederate  republic,  and  discord  is  the 
best  sword  wherewith  to  attack  these  princely  hirelings.  But  what 
does  the  Swedish  ambassador — whose  name  I  noticed  on  the  list  of 
applicants  for  interviews  with  myself — here  among  the  representa- 
tives of  the  German  princes?" 

"  He  pretends  to  participate  in  the  congress  of  peace  because 
Sweden  warranted  the  execution  of  the  treaty  of  Westphalia, "  ex- 
claimed Jean  Debry,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

"Bah  !  that  is  a  most  ridiculous  pretext, "  said  Bonnier,  gloomily. 
"This  M.  Fersen  is  a  royalist.  The  political  part  played  by  this 
diplpmatist  at  the  court  of  Louis  Capet,  and  afterward  continued  by 
him,  is  only  too  well  known.  He  now  tries  to  dazzle  us  by  his  kind- 
ness merely  for  the  purpose  of  laying  a  trap  for  the  French  Republic. " 

"  Ah,  we  shall  show  to  the  gentleman  that  the  Republic  has  got 
an  open  eye  and  a  firm  hand,  and  that  it  discovers  and  tears  all  such 
meshes  and  traps,"  said  Bonaparte,  impetuously.  "But  we  have 
done  business  enough  for  to-day,  and  I  will  go  and  receive  the  am- 
bassadors who  have  been  waiting  here  for  a  long  while  in  the  ante- 
room. " 

He  saluted  the  three  gentlemen  with  a  familiar  nod,  and  then 
repaired  to  the  reception-room,  the  doors  of  which  were  opened  at 
last  to  admit  the  German  ambassadors. 

It  was  a  brilliant  crowd  now  entering  in  a  solemn  procession 
through  the  opened  folding-doors.  The  ambassadors  of  every  Ger- 
man sovereign  were  in  attendance ;  only  the  representatives  of 
Austria  and  Prussia,  whom  Bonaparte  had  received  already  in  a 
special  audience,  were  absent. 

This  German  peace  delegation,  which  now  entered  the  room  to 
do  homage  to  the  French  general,  was  a  very  large  one.  There  were 
first  the  ambassadors  of  Bavaria  and  Saxony,  of  Baden  and  Wurtem- 
berg,  of  Hanover  and  Mecklenburg ;  then  followed  the  host  of  the 
small  princes  and  noblemen,  by  whose  side  the  ecclesiastical  dignita- 
ries, the  representatives  of  the  electors  and  bishops,  were  walking  in.  * 

Bonaparte  stood  proudly  erect  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  his 
gloomy  glances  inspecting  the  gentlemen,  who  now  commenced 
stationing  themselves  on  both  sides  of  the  apartment.  A  master  of 

*  The  whole  German  peace  delegation  consisted  of  seventy-nine  persons,  and  all 
these  seventy-nine  distinguished  men,  the  ambassadors  of  emperor,  kings,  and 
princes,  tried  to  gain  the  favor  of  the  ambassadors  of  France;  and  the  three  gentle- 
men, representing  the  great  Republic,  seemed  more  powerful  and  influential  than  all 
the  representatives  of  Germany. 


150  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

ceremonies,  who  had  been  previously  selected  for  the  meetings  of 
the  peace  congress,  now  walked  solemnly  through  the  ranks  and 
announced  in  a  ringing  voice  the  name,  rank,  and  position  of  every 
ambassador. 

"  His  excellency  Count  Fersen, "  he  shouted  just  now,  in  a  solemn 
manner,  "  ambassador  of  his  majesty  the  King  of  Sweden  and  Duke 
of  Pomerania. " 

Count  Fersen  had  not  yet  finished  his  ceremonious  obeisance, 
when  Bonaparte  rapidly  approached  him. 

"  Just  tell  me,  sir, "  he  exclaimed,  bluntly  ;  "  what  is  the  name  of 
the  minister  whom  Sweden  has  now  in  Paris?" 

Count  Fersen  looked  in  evident  surprise  and  confusion  at  the 
pale  face  of  the  general,  whose  flaming  eyes  were  fixed  upon  him 
with  an  angry  expression. 

"  I  do  not  know, "  he  faltered,  "  I  am  not  quite  sure — " 

"  Ah,  sir,  you  know  only  too  well  that  Sweden  has  not  yet  given 
a  successor  to  M.  de  Haill, "  Bonaparte  interrupted  him  violently, 
"  and  that  the  only  ambassador  whom  she  was  willing  to  send  had  to 
be  rejected  by  the  Directory.  You  were  this  ambassador  whom  the 
Directory  would  not  tolerate  in  Paris.  Friendly  ties  have  united 
France  and  Sweden  for  a  long  series  of  years,  and  I  believe  Sweden 
ought  to  appreciate  and  recognize  their  importance  at  the  present 
time  more  than  ever.  How,  then,  is  the  conduct  of  the  court  of 
Stockholm  to  be  explained,  that  tries  to  make  it  its  special  business 
to  send  everywhere,  either  to  Paris  or  wherever  the  plenipotentiaries 
of  France  may  be  seen,  ministers  and  ambassadors  who  must  be 
peculiarly  distasteful  to  every  citizen  of  France?" 

"  That  is  certainly  not  the  intention  of  my  court, "  exclaimed 
Count  Fersen,  hastily. 

"That  may  be,  "said  Bonaparte,  proudly,  "but  I  should  like  to 
know  if  the  King  of  Sweden  would  remain  indifferent  in  case  a 
French  ambassador  should  try  to  instigate  an  insurrection  of  the 
people  of  Stockholm  against  him !  The  French  Republic  cannot 
permit  men,  whose  connection  with  the  old  court  of  France  is  a 
matter  of  notoriety,  to  appear  in  official  capacities,  and  thus  to  irri- 
tate and  humble  the  republican  ambassadors,  the  representatives 
of  the  first  nation  on  earth,  who,  before  consulting  her  policy,  knows 
how  to  maintain  her  dignity." 

"I  shall  immediately  set  out  for  Stockholm  in  order  to  communi- 
cate these  views  of  the  conqueror  of  Italy  to  my  court, "  said  Count 
Fersen,  pale  with  shame  and  mortification. 

"Do  so,  set  out  at  once,"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  impetuously, 
"and  tell  your  master,  unless  he  should  conclude  to  pursue  a  different 
policy,  I  will  send  him  some  day  a  skilful  diplomatic  Gascon  who 


THE  RECEPTION  OF  THE  AMBASSADORS.  151 

knows  how  to  simplify  the  machine  and  make  it  go  less  rapidly. 
King  Gustavus  will  perhaps  find  out,  when  it  is  too  late,  and  at  his 
own  expense,  that  the  reins  of  government  must  be  firmly  held  in 
one  hand,  and  the  other  skilfully  wield  the  sword,  while  it  is  yet 
time.  Go,  sir,  and  inform  your  king  of  what  I  have  told  you  !" 

Count  Fersen  made  no  reply ;  he  merely  bowed  hastily  and 
silently,  and,  beckoning  his  attaches  who  were  standing  behind  him, 
he  left  the  room  with  his  suite.* 

Bonaparte's  flashing  eyes  followed  him  until  he  had  disappeared, 
and  then  the  general  turned  once  more  to  the  ambassadors. 

"  I  could  not  suffer  a  traitor  and  enemy  in  our  assembly, "  he  said, 
in  a  loud  and  firm  voice.  "  We  are  here  in  order  to  make  peace, 
while  he  was  secretly  anxious  for  a  renewal  of  war,  and  was  bent 
upon  sowing  the  evil  seeds  of  discord  among  us.  Let  us  all  endeavor 
to  make  peace,  gentlemen,  to  the  best  of  our  power.  Do  not  compel 
me  to  enter  the  lists  against  you,  too,  for  the  struggle  could  not  be 
doubtful  between  a  nation  that  has  just  conquered  her  liberty,  and 
princes  who  tried  to  deprive  her  of  it  again.  If  you  reject  to-day 
the  pacific  overtures  I  shall  make  to  you,  I  shall  impose  other  condi- 
tions to-morrow  ;  but  woe  unto  him  among  you,  who  should  refuse 
my  mediation  ;  for  in  that  case  I  should  overthrow  the  whole  frame- 
work of  a  false  policy,  and  the  thrones  standing  on  a  weak  founda- 
tion would  soon  break  down.  I  speak  to  you  with  the  frankness  of 
a  soldier  and  the  noble  pride  of  a  victorious  general ;  I  caution  you 
because  I  have  the  welfare  of  the  nations  at  heart,  who  more  than 
ever  need  the  blessings  of  peace.  It  is  now  for  you  to  say  whether 
we  shall  have  war  or  peace,  and  it  will  solely  depend  upon  your  sub- 
missiveness  whether  France  will  be  able  to  conclude  an  honorable 
peace  with  her  German  neighbors,  or  whether  you  will  compel  us 
to  take  up  arms  once  more.  But  in  that  case  woe  unto  you,  for  we 
should  retaliate  in  the  most  terrible  manner  on  those  who  would 
dare  to  oppose  us !  "f 

He  paused  and  rapidly  glanced  at  the  assembled  gentlemen. 
They  stood  before  him  with  grave  and  gloomy  faces,  but  none  of 
them  were  courageous  enough  to  make  a  dignified  reply  to  the  proud 
and  humiliating  words  of  the  French  general.  The  ambassadors  of 
Germany  received  the  severe  lecture  of  the  representative  of  France 
with  silent  submissiveness. 

An  imperceptible  smile  played  on  Bonaparte's  lips.  He  saluted  the 
gentlemen  with  a  slight  nod  and  rapidly  returned  to  his  own  rooms. 

*  This  whole  scene  actually  took  place,  and  contains  only  such  words  as  really  were 
exchanged  between  Bonaparte  and  Fersen.— Vide  "M6moires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat," 
vol.  v.,  p.  64.  Le  Normand,  Memoires,  vol.  i.,  p.  263. 

t  Bonaparte's  own  words.— Vide  Le  Normand,  vol.  i.,  p.  964. 


152  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

FRANCE    AND    AUSTRIA. 

BONAPARTE  had  scarcely  reached  his  room  and  just  closed  the 
door,  when  the  opposite  door  opened,  and  the  entering  footman 
announced,  "  His  excellency  Count  Louis  Cobenzl. " 

Bonaparte  waved  his  hand  and  went  to  meet  the  count  in  the 
anteroom,  where  he  welcomed  him  with  the  utmost  kindness  and 
courtesy. 

The  two  gentlemen  thereupon  reentered  the  room  hand  in  hand, 
a  pleasant  smile  playing  on  their  lips,  while  both  were  assuring  each 
other  of  their  kind  intentions,  but  at  the  same  time  secretly  enter- 
taining the  ardent  desire  and  purpose  to  divine  their  mutual 
thoughts,  but  to  conceal  their  own  schemes.  The  general,  with 
great  politeness,  offered  the  seat  of  honor  on  the  sofa  to  the  count, 
and  sat  down  in  an  arm-chair  in  front  of  him.  A  small  round  table 
with  writing-materials  and  paper  stood  between  them,  forming  as 
it  were  the  frontier  between  Austria  and  France. 

"  So  the  ardent  desires  of  Austria  are  fulfilled  now, "  said  Count 
Cobenzl,  with  a  sweet  smile.  "  France  will  no  longer  oppose  us ; 
she  will  be  our  friend  and  ally. " 

"France  will  welcome  this  new  friend  and  ally  of  hers,"  ex- 
claimed Bonaparte,  feelingly,  "provided  Austria's  intentions  are 
loyal.  Ah,  my  dear  count,  no  protestations  now  !  In  politics  words 
prove  nothing,  deeds  every  thing.  Let  Austria,  then,  prove  by  her 
deeds  that  she  really  desires  to  keep  up  a  good  understanding  with 
France,  and  that  she  has  given  up  forever  her  hostile  attitude  toward 
the  republic. " 

"  But  has  not  Austria  given  proof  of  her  intentions  toward  France 
already?"  asked  the  count,  in  surprise.  " Has  not  his  majesty  the 
emperor  declared  his  willingness  to  resume  diplomatic  relations 
with  France,  and  thereby  formally  and  before  the  whole  world  to 
recognize  the  French  Republic?" 

"Sir,"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  "the  French  Republic  does  not 
humbly  solicit  to  be  recognized.  She  compels  hostile  states  to  rec- 
ognize her,  for,  like  the  sun,  she  sheds  her  light  over  the  whole 
globe,  and  she  would  pierce  the  eyes  of  such  as  would  feign  not  to 
see  her,  rendering  them  blind  for  all  time  to  come  !  *  Austria  beheld 
this  radiant  sun  of  the  republic  at  Lodi,  at  Rivoli,  Arcole,  and 
Mantua ;  whence,  then,  would  she  derive  courage  enough  to  refuse 

*  Bonaparte's  own  words.— Vide  Constant,  vol.  i.,  p.  284. 


FRANCE  AND  AUSTRIA.  153 

recognizing  France?  But  instead  of  words,  prove  to  us  by  your 
actions  that  your  friendship  is  honest  and  sincere. " 

"  We  are  ready  to  do  so, "  said  Count  Cobenzl,  politely.  "  Austria 
is  ready  to  give  a  public  and  brilliant  proof  of  her  devotion  to  the 
great  general  whose  glory  is  now  filling  the  whole  world  with  aston- 
ishment and  admiration.  His  majesty  the  emperor,  in  the  letter 
which  I  had  the  honor  of  delivering  to  you  some  time  ago,  told  you 
already  in  eloquent  words  how  greatly  he  admired  the  conqueror  of 
Italy,  and  how  gladly  his  majesty,  if  it  were  in  his  power,  would 
grant  you  such  favors  as  would  be  agreeable  to  you.  But  at  that 
time  you  rejected  all  such  offers,  general,  and  nothing  could  induce 
you  to  accept  of  what  we  wished  to  present  to  you.  It  seemed  not 
to  have  value  enough  to — " 

"  Rather  say,  count,  it  was  all  too  valuable  not  to  be  looked  upon 
as  a  bribe, "  exclaimed  Bonaparte.  "  I  was  negotiating  with  you, 
sword  in  hand,  and  it  would  not  have  been  becoming  of  me  to  lay 
the  sword  aside  in  order  to  fill  my  hands  with  your  presents." 

"  But  now,  general,  now  that  we  have  laid  the  sword  aside,  that 
we  have  made  peace,  that  we  have  exchanged  the  ratifications  of 
the  treaty — now  that  you  tender  your  hand  to  Austria  in  friendship 
and  peace,  you  might  permit  his  majesty  the  Emperor  of  Austria  to 
deposit  something  in  your  friendly  hand,  that  might  prove  to  you 
how  sincerely  my  august  master  the  emperor  is  devoted  to  you." 

"  And  what  does  the  emperor  desire  to  deposit  in  my  hand  ?"  asked 
Bonaparte,  with  a  quiet  smile. 

Count  Cobenzl  hesitated  a  little  before  making  a  reply.  "  Gen- 
eral, "  he  then  said,  "  when  I  see  you  thus  before  me  in  your  marble 
beauty,  I  am  involuntarily  reminded  of  the  heroes  of  Rome  and 
Greece,  who  have  immortalized  the  glory  of  their  countries,  but 
whom  the  admiration  of  posterity  had  to  compensate  for  the  ingrati- 
tude of  their  contemporaries.  General,  republics  never  were  grate- 
ful to  their  great  men,  and  only  too  often  have  they  stigmatized 
their  most  glorious  deeds  ;  for  the  republics  deprecated  the  greatness 
of  their  heroes,  because  he  who  distinguished  himself,  thereby 
annulled  the  equality  and  fraternity  of  all  the  citizens.  Pericles 
was  banished  from  Athens,  and  Julius  Caesar  was  assassinated ! 
General,  will  modern  republics  be  more  grateful  than  those  of  an- 
tiquity ?  For  my  part,  I  dare  say,  it  is  rather  doubtful,  and  the 
French  being  descendants  of  the  Romans,  I  am  afraid  they  will  not 
prove  any  more  grateful  than  the  latter.  The  emperor,  my  august 
master,  shares  my  fears,  and  as  he  loves  and  venerates  you,  he  would 
like  to  exalt  you  so  high  as  to  prevent  the  hands  of  the  political 
factions  from  reaching  up  to  you.  His  majesty  therefore  proposes 
to  create  a  principality  for  you  in  Germany,  and  to  make  you  the 


154  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

sovereign  ruler  of  two  hundred  thousand  people,  appointing  you  at 
the  same  time  a  prince  of  the  German  empire,  and  giving  you  a  seat 
and  vote  at  the  imperial  diet. *  General,  do  you  accept  my  emperor's 
offer?" 

"To  become  the  emperor's  vassal?"  asked  Bonaparte,  with  an 
imperceptible  smile.  "  A  small  prince  of  the  German  empire  who  on 
solemn  occasions  might  be  deemed  worthy  to  present  the  wash-basin 
to  the  emperor,  or  to  be  his  train-bearer,  while  every  king  and 
elector  would  outrank  me.  No,  my  dear  count,  I  do  not  accept  the 
offer.  I  sincerely  thank  the  emperor  for  the  interest  he  takes  in  my 
welfare,  but  I  must  accept  no  gifts  or  favors  not  coming  directly 
from  the  French  nation,  and  I  shall  always  be  satisfied  with  the  in- 
come bestowed  upon  me  by  the  latter,  "f 

"You  reject  the  emperor's  offer V"  asked  Cobenzl,  mournfully — 
"you  disdain  wearing  a  crown?" 

"  If  the  crown  should  crush  the  few  laurels  with  which  my  vic- 
tories have  adorned  me,  yes  ;  in  that  case  I  should  prefer  to  decline 
the  crown  in  favor  of  my  laurels.  And,  my  dear  count,  if  I  had 
been  so  anxious  for  a  crown,  I  might  have  picked  up  one  of  those 
crowns  that  fell  down  at  my  feet  in  Italy.  But  I  preferred  to  crush 
them  under  my  heels,  just  as  St.  George  crushed  the  dragon  ;  and 
the  gold  of  the  crushed  crowns,  as  it  behooved  a  good  and  dutiful 
son,  I  laid  down  on  the  altar  of  the  great  French  Republic.  So  you 
see  I  am  not  longing  for  crowns.  If  I  might  follow  my  own  incli- 
nations, I  should  return  to  the  silence  and  obscurity  of  my  former 
life,  and  I  should  lay  my  sword  aside  in  order  to  live  only  as  a 
peaceable  citizen. " 

"Oh,  general,  if  you  should  do  so,"  exclaimed  Cobenzl,  "there 
would  soon  be  men  to  pick  up  your  sword  in  order  to  fight  with  it 
against  the  Republic  and  to  recall  the  Bourbons  to  the  throne  of  the 
lilies." 

A  rapid  flash  from  Bonaparte's  eyes  struck  the  count's  face  and 
met  his  sharp,  searching  glance. 

"Count  Cobenzl,"  he  said,  quietly  and  coldly,  "the  lilies  of 
France  have  dropped  from  their  stems,  and,  being  drowned  in  the 
blood  of  the  guillotine,  they  could  not  be  made  to  bloom  again.  He 
would  be  a  poor,  short-sighted  gardener  who  would  try  to  draw 
flowers  from  seeds  dead  and  devoid  of  germs.  And  believe  me,  we 
are  no  such  poor,  short-sighted  gardeners  in  France.  You  alluded 
just  now  to  the  ingratitude  of  republics,  and  you  apprehended  lest 
I  might  likewise  suffer  thereby.  Let  me  assure  you,  however,  that 
even  my  country's  ingratitude  would  be  dearer  to  me  than  the  grati- 

*  Historical.— Vide  "  Memoires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  67. 
tBonaparte'B  own  reply.— Vide  "  M£moires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  67. 


FRANCE  AND  AUSTRIA.  155 

tude  of  a  foreign  power,  and  that  the  crown  of  thorns,  which  France 
may  press  upon  my  head,  would  seem  to  me  more  honorable  than 
the  coronet  with  which  an  enemy  of  France  might  adorn  my  brow. 
And  now,  count,  a  truce  to  such  trifling  matters !  Let  us  speak 
about  business  affairs.  We  have  signed  the  ratifications  of  peace, 
which  are  to  be  laid  before  the  congress  ;  it  only  remains  for  us  to 
sign  the  secret  articles  which  shall  be  known  by  none  but  France 
and  Austria.  The  main  point  is  the  evacuation  of  Mentz  by  your 
troops,  so  that  our  army  may  ocupy  the  fortress. " 

"  I  am  afraid,  general,  this  very  point  will  be  a  stumbling-block 
for  the  members  of  the  congress.  They  will  raise  a  terrible  hue  and 
cry  as  soon  as  they  learn  that  we  have  surrendered  Mentz. " 

"Let  these  gentlemen  say  what  they  please,"  said  Bonaparte, 
contemptuously  ;  "  we  have  called  them  hither  that  they  may  talk, 
and  while  they  are  talking,  we  shall  act !" 

"  They  will  say  that  Austria  has  sacrificed  the  welfare  and  great- 
ness of  Germany  to  her  own  private  interests, "  exclaimed  Count 
Cobenzl,  anxiously. 

"  Fools  are  they  who  care  for  what  people  will  say !"  replied 
Bonaparte,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  A  prudent  man  will  pursue 
his  path  directly  toward  his  aim,  and  the  hum  of  babblers  never 
disturbs  him.  Hear,  then,  my  last  words :  in  case  the  Austrian 
troops  do  not  leave  Mentz  within  one  week,  and  surrender  the  for- 
tress to  the  French  forces,  the  French  army  will  remain  in  Venice, 
and  I  would  sooner  send  the  latter  city  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  than 
to  let  Austria  have  a  single  stone  of  hers.  Mentz  must  be  ours,  or  I 
tear  the  treaty,  and  hostilities  will  recommence  !" 

And  Bonaparte,  with  a  furious  gesture,  seized  the  papers  lying 
on  the  table  and  was  about  to  tear  them,  when  Count  Cobenzl  sud- 
denly jumped  up  and  grasped  his  hands. 

"General,"  he  said,  imploringly,  "what  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"What am  I  going  to  do?"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  in  a  thundering 
voice,  "I  am  going  to  tear  a  treaty  of  peace,  which  you  merely 
wanted  to  sign  with  words,  but  not  with  deeds  !  Oh,  that  was  the 
nice  little  trick  of  your  diplomacy,  then  !  With  your  prince's  coro- 
net you  wanted  to  dazzle  my  eyes — with  the  two  hundred  thousand 
subjects  you  offered  me  just  now,  you  wanted  me  to  corrupt  my 
soul,  and  induce  me  to  barter  away  the  honor  and  greatness  of 
France  for  the  miserable  people  of  a  petty  German  prince  !  No,  sir. 
I  shall  not  sell  my  honor  at  so  low  a  price.  I  stand  hei'e  in  the  name 
of  the  French  Republic  and  ask  you,  the  representative  of  Austria, 
to  fulfil  what  we  have  agreed  upon  at  Campo  Formio.  Mentz  must 
be  ours  even  before  our  troops  leave  Venice.  If  you  refuse  that,  it 
is  a  plain  infringement  of  the  treaty,  and  hostilities  will  be  resumed. 


156  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Now,  sir,  come  to  a  decision.  I  am  only  a  soldier,  and  but  a  poor 
diplomatist,  for  with  my  sword  and  with  my  word  I  always  directly 
strike  at  my  aim.  In  short,  then,  count,  will  you  withdraw  your 
troops  from  Mentz  and  from  the  other  fortresses  on  the  Rhine,  and 
surrender  Mentz  to  our  army?  Yes,  or  no?" 

"Yes,  yes,"  exclaimed  Count  Cobenzl,  with  a  sigh,  "we  will 
fulfil  your  wishes — we  will  withdraw  our  troops  from  Mentz  and 
surrender  the  fortress  to  the  French. " 

"  When  will  the  surrender  take  place  ?  As  speedily  as  possible, 
if  you  please. " 

"  On  the  ninth  of  December,  general. " 

"  Very  well,  on  the  ninth  of  December.  The  matter  is  settled, 
then." 

"  But  let  there  be  no  solemn  ceremonies  at  the  surrender, "  said 
the  count,  imploringly.  "  Let  our  troops  withdraw  quietly — let  your 
forces  occupy  the  place  in  the  same  manner,  so  that  when  the  dele- 
gates of  the  German  empire,  assembled  in  congress  in  this  city,  and 
to  whom  the  Emperor  of  Germany  has  solemnly  guaranteed  the 
entire  integrity  and  inviolability  of  the  empire,  hear  the  news  of 
the  transaction,  the  latter  may  be  already  an  accomplished  fact,  to 
which  every  one  must  submit. " 

"Be  it  so,  if  that  be  Austria's  desire, "  said  Bonaparte,  smiling. 
"And  now  we  will  consider  the  other  secret  articles.  The  Austrian 
troops  retire  from  the  German  empire  up  to  the  line  of  the  Inn  and 
Lech,  occupying  hereafter  only  Austrian  territory. " 

"  Yes,  general ;  in  return  for  all  these  concessions  on  our  part,  the 
French  troops  will  evacuate  on  the  thirtieth  of  December  the  for- 
tresses and  territory  of  Venice,  which  has  been  ceded  to  Austria  by 
the  treaty  of  Campo  Formio,  and  retire  behind  the  line  of  demarca- 
tion." 

"  Granted !  At  the  same  time  the  troops  of  the  republic  seize  the 
t&te-de-pont  at  Mannheim  either  by  intimidating  the  isolated  garri- 
son, or  by  making  a  sudden  dash  at  the  position,*  and  during  the 
continuation  of  the  negotiations  here  at  Rastadt,  the  French  forces 
leave  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine  and  occupy  the  right  bank  from 
Basle  to  Mentz. " 

"  Granted, "  sighed  Count  Cobenzl.  "  Austria  yields  the  frontier 
of  the  Rhine  to  France — that  is,  by  the  simultaneous  retreat  of  her 
own  forces  she  surrenders  to  the  republic  the  most  important  points 

*  "  Mfimolres  d'un  Ilomtne  d'fitat."  The  French  took  the  Ute-de-pont  at  Mann- 
heim by  assault,  on  the  26th  of  January,  1798,  the  garrison  refusing  to  evacuate  it. 
Mentz  surrendered  without  firing  a  gun,  and  during  the  night  of  the  28th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1797,  the  French  entered  this  great  fortress,  which  was  thereupon  annexed  to 
the  French  Republic. 


FRANCE  AND  AUSTRIA.  157 

of  the  German  empire,  including  Ehrenbreitstein.  The  congress  of 
the  states  of  the  German  empire  will  deliberate,  therefore,  under 
the  direct  influence  produced  by  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  a 
French  army." 

"  In  case  the  delegates  of  Germany  do  not  like  the  looks  of  the 
French  soldiers,  they  may  turn  their  eyes  to  the  other  side,  where 
the  Austrian  army  is  encamped  on  the  Danube  and  on  the  Lech, " 
exclaimed  Bonaparte.  "  Thus  the  delegates  will  be  surrounded  by 
two  armies.  This  fact  may  interfere  a  little  with  the  freedom  of 
speech  during  the  session  of  congress,  but  it  will  be  advantageous, 
too,  inasmuch  as  it  will  induce  the  delegates  to  accelerate  their 
labors  somewhat,  and  to  finish  their  task  sooner  than  they  would 
have  done  under  different  circumstances. " 

"  It  is  true,  right  in  the  face  of  these  two  armies  at  least  the  small 
German  princes  will  not  dare  to  oppose  the  German  emperor  in 
ceding  the  entire  left  bank  of  the  Rhine  to  France.  But  it  is  only 
just  and  equitable  for  us  to  indemnify  them  for  their  losses.  In  one 
of  our  secret  articles,  therefore,  we  should  acknowledge  the  obliga- 
tion of  promising  compensations  to  the  princes  and  electors — " 

"  Yes,  let  us  promise  compensations  to  them, "  said  Bonaparte, 
with  a  tinge  of  sarcasm.  "As  to  the  possessions  of  Prussia  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Rhine,  France  declares  her  readiness  to  give  them 
back  to  the  King  of  Prussia. " 

"  But  both  powers  agree  not  to  allow  the  King  of  Prussia  to  ac- 
quire any  new  territory, "  exclaimed  Count  Cobenzl,  hastily. 

"Yes,  that  was  our  agreement  at  Campo  Formio, "  said  Bona- 
parte. "Austria's  incease  of  territory,  besides  Venice,  will  consist 
of  Salzburg  and  a  piece  of  Upper  Bavaria.  In  case  she  should  make 
further  conquests  in  the  adjoining  states,  France  may  claim  a 
further  aggrandizement  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine. "  * 

"Yes,  that  was  the  last  secret  article  of  the  preliminaries  of 
Campo  Formio,"  said  Cobenzl,  sighing. 

"Then  we  have  remained  entirely  faithful  to  our  agreement," 
said  Bonaparte.  "  We  have  not  made  any  alterations  whatever  in 
the  programme  which  we  agreed  upon  and  deposed  in  writing  at  the 
castle  of  Campo  Formio.  It  only  remains  for  us  to-day  to  sign  these 
secret  articles. " 

He  took  the  pen  and  hastily  signed  the  two  documents  spread 
out  on  the  table. 

Count  Cobenzl  signed  them  also ;  but  his  hand  was  trembling  a 

little  while  he  was  writing,  and  his  face  was  clouded  and  gloomy. 

Perhaps  he  could  not  help  feeling  that  Austria  just  now  was  signing 

the  misery  and  disgrace  of  Germany  in  order  to  purchase  thereby 

*Schlosser's  "History  of  the  Eighteenth  Century,"  vol.  v.,  p.  43. 


158  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

some  provinces,  and  that  Austria  enlarged  her  territory  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  empire  whose  emperor  was  her  own  ruler— Francis  II. 

Their  business  being  finished,  the  two  plenipotentiaries  rose,  and 
Count  Cobenzl  withdrew.  Bonaparte  accompanied  him  again  to  the 
door  of  the  anteroom,  and  then  returned  to  his  cabinet. 

A  proud,  triumphant  smile  was  now  playing  on  his  pale,  narrow 
lips,  and  his  eyes  were  beaming  and  flashing  in  an  almost  sinister 
manner.  Stepping  back  to  the  table,  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the 
document  with  the  two  signatures. 

"The  left  bank  of  the  Rhine  is  ours  !"  he  said,  heavily  laying  his 
hand  upon  the  paper.  "But  the  right  bank?" 

He  shook  his  head,  and  folding  his  arms  upon  his  back,  he  com- 
menced pacing  the  room,  absorbed  in  profound  reflections.  His 
features  had  now  resumed  their  marble  tranquillity  ;  it  was  again 
the  apparation  of  Julius  Caesar  that  was  walking  up  and  down  there 
with  inaudible  steps,  and  the  old  thoughts  of  Julius  Caesar,  those 
thoughts  for  which  he  had  to  suffer  death,  seemed  to  revive  again 
in  Bonaparte's  mind,  for  at  one  time  he  whispered,  "A  crown  for 
me  !  A  crown  in  Germany.  It  would  be  too  small  for  me  !  If  my 
hand  is  to  grasp  a  crown,  it  must — " 

He  paused  and  gazed  fixedly  at  the  wall  as  if  he  saw  the  future 
there,  that  arose  before  him  in  a  strange  phantasmagoria. 

After  a  long  pause,  he  started  and  seemed  to  awake  from  a 
dream. 

"  I  believe  I  will  read  the  letter  once  more,  which  I  received  yes- 
terday by  mail, "  he  murmured,  in  an  almost  inaudible  tone.  "  It 
is  a  wonderful  letter,  and  I  really  would  like  to  know  who  wrote 
it." 

He  drew  a  folded  paper  from  his  bosom  and  opened  it.  Stepping 
into  a  bay  window,  he  perused  the  letter  with  slow,  deliberate 
glances.  The  bright  daylight  illuminated  his  profile  and  rendered 
its  antique  beauty  even  more  conspicuous.  Profound  silence  sur- 
rounded him,  and  nothing  was  heard  but  his  soft  and  slow  respira- 
tion and  the  rustling  of  the  paper. 

When  he  had  finished  it,  he  commenced  perusing  it  again,  but 
this  time  he  seemed  to  be  anxious  to  hear  what  he  was  reading.  He 
read  it,  however,  in  a  very  low  and  subdued  voice,  and  amidst  the 
silence  surrounding  him  the  words  that  fell  from  the  lips  of  the 
resurrected  Caesar  sounded  like  the  weird  whispers  of  spirits. 

"  You  have  to  choose  now  between  so  great  an  alternative, "  he 
read,  "  that  however  bold  your  character  may  be,  you  must  be  un- 
certain as  to  the  determination  you  have  to  come  to,  if  you  are  to 
choose  between  respect  and  hatred,  between  glory  or  disgrace,  be- 
tween exalted  power  or  an  abject  insignificance,  that  would  lead 


THE  BANNER  OF  GLORY.  159 

you  to  the  scaffold,  and,  finally,  between  the  immortality  of  a  great 
man,  or  that  of  a  punished  partisan." 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  and  his  voice  was  now  loud  and 
firm.  "Ah!  I  shall  never  hesitate  between  such  alternatives.  I 
should  bear  disgrace,  abject  insignificance,  and  an  utter  lack  of 
power?  And  my  hand  should  not  be  withered — it  should  be  able  yet 
to  grasp  a  sword  and  pierce  my  breast  with  it?" 

He  lowered  his  eyes  again  and  continued  reading :  "  You  have  to 
choose  between  three  parts  :  the  first  is  to  return  quietly  to  France 
and  to  live  there  as  a  plain  and  unassumnig  citizen ;  the  second,  to 
return  to  France  at  the  head  of  an  army  and  there  to  become  the 
leader  of  a  party ;  the  third,  to  establish  a  great  empire  in  Italy  and 
proclaim  yourself  king  of  the  peninsula.  I  advise  you  to  do  so,  and 
to  grasp  the  Italian  crown  with  a  firm  hand. "  * 

"  He  is  a  fool, "  said  Bonaparte,  "  who  believes  a  man  might  make 
himself  king  of  Italy  and  maintain  himself  on  the  throne,  unless  he 
previously  has  seized  the  sovereign  power  in  France,  f  But  no  one 
must  hear  these  thoughts  !  I  will  go  to  Josephine  !" 

He  hastily  folded  the  paper  and  concealed  it  again  in  his  bosom. 
Then  stepping  to  the  looking-glass,  he  closely  scanned  his  face  in 
order  to  see  whether  or  not  it  might  betray  his  thoughts  ;  and  when 
he  had  found  it  to  be  as  pale  and  impassive  as  ever,  he  turned  round 
and  left  the  room. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

THE    BANNER    OF    GLORY. 

FOUR  days  had  elapsed  since  Bonaparte's  arrival  at  Rastadt,  and 
the  congress  had  profited  by  them  in  order  to  give  the  most  brilliant 
festivals  to  the  French  general  and  his  beautiful  wife.  All  those 
ambassadors,  counts,  barons,  bishops,  and  diplomatists  seemed  to 
have  assembled  at  Rastadt  for  the  sole  purpose  of  giving  banquets, 
tea-parties,  and  balls  ;  no  one  thought  of  attending  to  business,  and 
all  more  serious  ideas  seemed  to  have  been  utterly  banished,  while 
every  one  spoke  of  the  gorgeous  decorations  of  the  ball-rooms  and  of 
the  magnificence  of  the  state  dinners,  where  the  most  enthusiastic 
toasts  were  drunk  in  honor  of  the  victorious  French  general ;  and 
the  people  seemed  most  anxious  entirely  to  forget  poor,  suffering, 
and  patient  Germany. 

*  Sabatier  de  Castres,  living  at  that  time  in  exile  at  Hamburg,  had  written  this 
anonymous  letter  to  Bonaparte. 

t "  Memoires  (Tun  Homme  d'Etat,"  voL  v.,  p.  69. 


160  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Josephine  participated  in  these  festivities  with  her  innate  cheer- 
fulness and  vivacity.  She  was  the  queen  of  every  party  ;  every  one 
was  doing  homage  to  her ;  every  one  was  bent  upon  flattering  her  in 
order  to  catch  an  affable  word,  a  pleasant  glance  from  her ;  and, 
encouraged  by  her  unvaried  kindness,  to  solicit  her  intercession 
with  her  husband,  in  whose  hands  alone  the  destinies  of  the  German 
princes  and  their  states  now  seemed  to  lie. 

But  while  Josephine's  radiant  smiles  were  delighting  every  one 
— while  she  was  promising  to  all  to  intercede  for  them  with  her 
husband,  Bonaparte's  countenance  remained  grave  and  moody,  and 
it  was  only  in  a  surly  mood  that  he  attended  the  festivals  that  were 
given  in  his  honor.  His  threatening  glances  had  frequently  already 
been  fixed  upon  his  wife,  and  those  moody  apprehensions,  ever  alive 
in  his  jealous  breast,  had  whispered  to  him :  "  Josephine  has  de- 
ceived you  again  !  In  order  to  silence  your  reproaches,  she  invented 
a  beautiful  story,  in  which  there  is  not  a  word  of  truth,  for  the 
letter  that  was  to  call  you  back  to  Paris  does  not  arrive,  and  the 
Directory  keeps  you  here  at  Rastadt. " 

And  while  he  was  indulging  in  such  reflections,  his  features 
assumed  a  sinister  expression,  and  his  lips  muttered :  "  Woe  to  Jose- 
phine, if  she  should  have  deceived  me  !" 

Thus  the  fourth  day  had  arrived,  and  the  Bavarian  ambassador 
was  to  give  a  brilliant  soiree.  Bonaparte  had  promised  to  be  pres- 
ent, but  he  had  said  to  Josephine,  in  a  threateinng  manner,  that  he 
would  attend  only  if  the  expected  courier  from  Paris  did  arrive  in 
the  course  of  the  day,  so  that  he  might  profit  by  the  Bavarian  am- 
bassador's party  to  take  leave  of  all  those  "fawning  and  slavish 
representatives  of  the  German  empire. " 

But  no  courier  had  made  his  appearance  during  the  whole  morn- 
ing. Bonaparte  had  retired  to  his  closet  and  was  pacing  the  room 
like  an  angry  lion  in  his  cage.  All  at  once,  however,  the  door  was 
hastily  opened,  and  Josephine  entered  with  a  radiant  face,  holding 
in  her  uplifted  right  hand  a  large  sealed  Better. 

"Bonaparte!"  she  shouted,  in  a  jubilant  voice,  "can  you  guess 
what  I  have  got  here?" 

He  ran  toward  her  and  wanted  to  seize  the  letter.  But  Josephine 
would  not  let  him  have  it,  and  concealed  it  behind  her  back.  "  Stop, 
my  dear  sir, "  she  said.  "  First  you  must  beg  my  pardon  for  the  evii 
thoughts  I  have  read  on  your  forehead  during  the  last  few  days. 
Oh,  my  excellent  general,  you  are  a  poor  sinner,  and  I  really  do  not 
know  if  I  am  at  liberty  to  grant  you  absolution  and  to  open  the  gates 
of  paradise  to  you." 

"But  what  have  I  done,  Josephine?"  he  asked.  "Was  I  not  as 
patient  as  a  lamb?  Did  I  not  allow  myself  to  be  led  like  a  dancing- 


THE  BANNER  OF  GLORY.  161 

bear  from  festival  to  festival?  Did  I  not  look  on  with  the  patience 
of  an  angel  while  every  one  was  making  love  to  you,  and  while  you 
were  lavishing  smiles  and  encouraging,  kind  glances  in  all  direc- 
tions?" 

"  What  have  you  done,  Bonaparte  ?"  she  retorted  gravely.  "  You 
inwardly  calumniated  your  Josephine.  You  accused  her  in  your 
heart,  and  day  and  night  the  following  words  were  written  on  your 
forehead  in  flaming  characters :  '  Josephine  has  deceived  me. '  Do 
you  pretend  to  deny  it,  sir?" 

"  No, "  said  Bonaparte,  "  I  will  not  deny  any  thing,  dear,  lovely 
expounder  of  my  heart !  I  confess  my  sins,  and  implore  your  for- 
giveness. But  now,  Josephine,  be  kind  enough  not  to  let  me  wait 
any  longer.  Let  me  have  the  letter !" 

"  Hush,  sir !  this  letter  is  not  directed  to  you,  but  to  myself, " 
replied  Josephine,  smiling. 

Bonaparte  angrily  stamped  his  foot.  "  Not  to  me  !"  he  exclaimed, 
furiously.  "  Then  is  it  not  from  the  Directory — it  does  not  call  me 
back  from  Rastadt? — " 

"Hush,  Bonaparte!"  said  Josephine,  smiling,  "  must  you  always 
effervesce  like  the  stormy  sea  that  roared  around  your  cradle,  you 
big  child?  Be  quiet  now,  and  let  me  read  the  letter  to  you.  Will 
you  let  me  do  so?" 

"Yes,  I  will,"  said  Bonaparte,  hastily.  "Read,  I  implore  you, 
read !" 

Josephine  made  a  profound,  ceremonious  obeisance,  and  with- 
drawing her  hand  with  the  letter  from  her  back,  she  unfolded 
several  sheets  of  paper. 

"Here  is  first  a  letter  from  my  friend  Botot, "  she  said,  "just 
listen  : — '  Citoyenne  Generate:  The  Directory  wished  to  send  off  to- 
day a  courier  with  the  enclosed  dispatches  to  General  Bonaparte.  I 
induced  the  gentlemen,  however,  to  intrust  that  dispatch  to  myself, 
and  to  permit  me  to  send  it  to  you  instead  of  the  general.  It  is  to 
yourself  chiefly  that  the  general  is  indebted  for  the  contents  of  this 
dispatch  from  the  Directory.  It  is  but  just,  therefore,  citoyenne, 
that  you  should  have  the  pleasure  of  handing  it  to  him.  Do  so, 
citoyenne,  and  at  the  same  time  beg  your  husband  not  to  forget  your 
and  his  friend. — BOTOT.'  That  is  my  letter  Bonaparte,  and  here, 
my  friend,  is  the  enclosure  for  yourself.  You  see,  I  am  devoid  of 
the  common  weakness  of  woman,  I  am  not  inquisitive,  for  the  seal 
is  not  violated,  as  you  may  see  yourself. " 

And  with  a  charming  smile  she  handed  the  letter  to  Bonaparte. 
But  he  did  not  take  it. 

"  Break  the  seal,  my  Josephine, "  he  said,  profoundly  moved.  "  I 
want  to  learn  the  contents  of  the  letter  from  your  lips.  If  it  should 


162  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

bring  me  evil  tidings,  they  will  sound  less  harshly  when  announced 
by  you ;  is  it  joyful  news,  however,  your  voice  will  accompany  it 
with  the  most  beautiful  music. " 

Josephine  nodded  to  him  with  a  tender  and  grateful  glance,  and 
hastily  broke  the  seal. 

"  Now  pray,  quick !  quick !"  said  Bonaparte,  trembling  with 
impatience. 

Josephine  read : 

"The  executive  Directory  presumes,  citizen  general,  that  you 
have  arrived  at  Rastadt.  It  is  impatient  to  see  and  to  weigh  with 
you  the  most  important  interests  of  the  country.  Hence  it  desires 
you  to  bring  the  exchanged  ratifications  personally  to  Paris,  and  to 
inform  us  what  dispositions  you  have  taken  in  regard  to  the  occupa- 
tion of  Mentz  by  our  troops,  in  order  that  this  event  may  take  place 
without  further  delay.  It  may  be,  however,  that  you  have  for- 
warded this  intelligence  to  us  already  by  means  of  a  courier  or  an 
aide-de-camp ;  in  that  case  it  will  be  kept  secret  until  your  arrival. 
The  journey  you  are  now  going  to  make  to  Paris  will  first  fulfil  the 
sincere  desire  of  the  Directory  to  manifest  to  you  publicly  its  most 
unbounded  satisfaction  with  your  conduct  and  to  be  the  first  inter- 
preter of  the  nation's  gratitude  toward  you.  Besides,  it  is  necessary 
for  you  to  be  fully  informed  of  the  government's  views  and  inten- 
tions, and  to  consider  in  connection  with  it  the  ultimate  consequences 
of  the  great  operations  which  you  will  be  invited  to  undertake  ;  so 
we  expect  you  immediately,  citizen  general.  The  executive  Direc- 
tory also  desires  you  to  indicate  to  the  returning  courier,  who  is  to 
deliver  this  dispatch  to  you,  the  precise  day  of  your  arrival  at  Paris. 
In  the  name  of  the  Directory : 

"  BARRAS.  " 

"We  shall  set  out  at  once!"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  radiant  with 
joy. 

"In  order  to  arrive  together  with  the  courier?"  asked  Josephine, 
laughing,  "and  to  lose  all  the  triumphs  which  the  grateful  country 
is  preparing  for  you?  No,  my  impatient  friend,  you  will  patiently 
remain  to-day  by  the  side  of  your  Josephine  and  we  shall  start  only 
to-morrow.  Do  you  promise  it?" 

"Well,  be  it  so!"  he  exclaimed,  glowing  with  excitement,  "we 
will  set  out  to-morrow  for  Paris.  My  task  in  Italy  is  accomplished ; 
if  it  please  God,  there  will  be  new  work  for  me  at  Paris. " 

"  Your  enemies  will  soon  find  means  to  drive  you  away  from  the 
capital,  if  you  should  be  incautious,  and  if  they  should  fear  lest 
your  presence  might  become  dangerous  to  themselves.  Nothing  is 
more  dangerous  to  small,  insignificant  souls  than  a  great  man.  Re- 
member that,  my  friend,  and  do  not  irritate  them. w 


THE  BANNER  OF  GLORY.  163 

Bonaparte  eagerly  grasped  her  hand.  "  Believe  me, "  he  said,  in 
a  low  voice,  "  as  soon  as  I  have  reached  Paris,  I  shall  know  what 
line  of  policy  I  must  pursue  hereafter.  Two  years  shall  not  elapse 
ere  the  whole  ridiculous  republican  edifice  will  be  overthrown. "  * 

"And  then,"  exclaimed  Josephine,  joyfully,  "when  you  have 
accomplished  that — when  you  stand  as  a  victorious  general  on  the 
ruins  of  the  republic — you  will  reestablish  the  throne  over  them,  I 
hope?" 

"  Yes,  I  will  reestablish  the  throne,  "f  said  Bonaparte,  enthusias- 
tically. 

"  And  your  arm  will  place  upon  this  throne  him  to  whom  this 
throne  is  due.  Oh,  my  generous  and  noble  friend,  what  a  heavenly 
day  it  will  be  when  the  King  of  France  by  your  side  makes  his 
solemn  entry  into  Paris,  for  you  will  recall  the  legitimate  king, 
Louis  XVIII.,  from  his  exile." 

Bonaparte  stared  at  her  in  amazement.  "  Do  you  really  believe 
that?"  he  asked,  with  a  peculiar  smile. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it, "  she  said,  innocently.  "  Bonaparte  can 
do  whatever  he  wishes  to  do.  He  has  overthrown  thrones  in  Italy, 
he  can  reestablish  the  throne  in  France.  I  repeat,  Bonaparte  can 
do  whatever  he  wishes  to  do. " 

"And  do  you  know,  then,  you  little  fool,  do  you  know  what  I 
really  wish  to  do?"  he  asked.  "I  wish  to  be  the  great  regulator  of 
the  destinies  of  Europe,  or  the  first  citizen  of  the  globe.  I  feel  that 
I  have  the  strength  to  overthrow  every  thing  and  to  found  a  new 
world.  The  astonished  universe  shall  bow  to  me  and  be  compelled 
to  submit  to  my  laws.  Then  I  shall  make  the  villains  tremble,  who 
wished  to  keep  me  away  from  my  country.  \  I  have  made  the  be- 
ginning already,  and  this  miserable  government  has  to  call  me  back 
to  Paris  notwithstanding  its  own  secret  hostility.  Soon  it  shall  be 
nothing  but  a  tool  in  my  hands,  and  when  I  do  not  need  this  tool 
any  longer,  I  shall  destroy  it.  This  government  of  lawyers  has  op- 
pressed France  long  enongh.  It  is  high  time  for  us  to  drive  it 
away."§ 

"Hush,  Bonaparte,  for  God's  sake,  hush!"  said  Josephine,  anx- 
iously. "  Let  no  one  here  suspect  your  plans,  for  we  are  surrounded 
in  this  house  by  austere  and  rabid  republicans,  who,  if  they  had 
heard  your  words,  would  arraign  you  as  a  criminal  before  the  Direc- 
tory. Intrust  your  plans  to  no  one  except  myself,  Bonaparte.  Be- 
fore the  world  remain  as  yet  a  most  enthusiastic  republican,  and 

*  "M6moires  (Tun  Homme  cTfitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  60. 

t  Bonaparte's  own  words.— " M6moires  (Tun  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  70. 
$Le  Normand,  vol.  i.,  p.  247. 
§"Memoires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  70. 
MUHLBACH — H  VOL.   7 


164  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

only  when  the  decisive  hour  has  come,  throw  off  your  tunic  and 
exhibit  your  royal  uniform  !" 

Bonaparte  smiled,  and  encircled  her  neck  with  his  arms. 

"  Yes,  you  are  right, "  he  said  ;  "  we  must  be  taciturn.  We  must 
bury  our  most  secret  thoughts  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  our  souls, 
and  intrust  them  to  no  one,  not  even  to  the  beloved.  But  come, 
Josephine,  I  owe  you  my  thanks  yet  for  the  joyful  tidings  you  have 
brought  me.  You  must  permit  me  to  make  you  a  few  little  presents 
in  return. " 

"  Give  me  your  confidence,  and  I  am  abundantly  rewarded, "  said 
Josephine,  tenderly. 

"  Henceforth  I  shall  never,  never  distrust  you, "  he  replied,  affec- 
tionately. "We  belong  to  each  other,  and  no  power  of  earth  or 
heaven  is  able  to  separate  us.  You  are  mine  and  I  am  thine  ;  and 
what  is  mine  being  thine,  you  must  permit  me  to  give  you  a  trinket 
sent  to  me  to-day  by  the  city  of  Milan. " 

"A  trinket?"  exclaimed  Josephine,  with  radiant  eyes;  "let  me 
see  it.  Is  it  a  beautiful  one?" 

Bonaparte  smiled.  "  Yes,  beautiful  in  the  eyes  of  those  to  whom 
glory  seems  more  precious  than  diamonds  and  pearls, "  he  said,  step- 
ping to  the  table  from  which  he  took  a  small  morocco  casket.  "  See, " 
he  said,  opening  it,  "  it  is  a  gold  medal  which  the  city  of  Milan  has 
caused  to  be  struck  in  my  honor,  and  on  which  it  confers  upon  me 
the  title  of  'The  Italian. '" 

"  Give  it  to  me, "  exclaimed  Josephine,  joyfully — "  give  it  to  me, 
my  '  Italian  ! '  Let  me  wear  this  precious  trinket  which  public  favor 
has  bestowed  upon  you." 

"  Public  favor, "  he  said,  musingly — "  public  favor,  it  is  light  as 
zephyr,  as  fickle  as  the  seasons,  it  passes  away  like  the  latter,  and 
when  the  north  wind  moves  it,  it  will  disappear. "  * 

He  was  silent,  but  proceeded  after  a  short  pause  in  a  less  excited 
manner. 

"  As  to  my  deeds, "  he  said,  "  the  pen  of  history  will  trace  them 
for  our  grandchildren.  Either  I  shall  have  lived  for  a  century,  or 
I  shall  earn  for  all  my  great  exploits  nothing  but  silence  and  oblivion. 
Who  is  able  to  calculate  the  whims  and  predilections  of  history  ?"f 

He  paused  again,  and  became  absorbed  in  his  reflections. 

Josephine  did  not  venture  to  arouse  him  from  his  musing.  She 
fixed  her  eyes  upon  the  large  gold  medal,  and  tried  to  decipher  the 
inscription. 

Bonaparte  suddenly  raised  his  head  again,  and  turned  his  gloomy 
eyes  toward  Josephine.  "I  suppose  you  know,"  he  said,  "that  I 

*  Le  Normand,  vol.  i.,  p.  861. 
t Ibid.,  vol.  i.,p.  262. 


THE  BANNER  OF  GLORY.  165 

have  always  greatly  distinguished  the  Duke  of  Litalba  among  all 
Milanese,  and  that  I  have  openly  courted  his  friendship?" 

"  You  have  always  manifested  the  greatest  kindness  for  him, " 
said  Josephine,  "  and  he  is  gratefully  devoted  to  you  for  what  you 
have  done  for  him. " 

"  Gratefully  !"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  sarcastically.  "  There  is  no 
gratitude  on  earth,  and  the  Duke  of  Litalba  is  as  ungrateful  as  the 
rest  of  mankind.  I  called  him  my  friend.  Do  you  know  how  he 
has  paid  me  for  it,  and  what  he  has  said  of  me  behind  my  back?" 

"  Oh,  then,  they  have  told  you  libels  and  made  you  angry  again 
by  repeating  to  you  the  gossip  of  idle  tongues?" 

"  They  shall  tell  me  every  thing — I  want  to  know  every  thing !" 
retorted  Bonaparte,  violently.  "  I  must  know  my  friends  and  my 
enemies.  And  I  believed  Litalba  to  be  my  friend,  I  believed  him 
when  he  told  me,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  how  much  he  was  afflicted 
by  my  departure,  and  how  devotedly  he  loved  me.  I  believed  him, 
and  on  the  same  day  he  said  at  a  public  casino,  'Now  at  last  our 
city  will  get  rid  of  this  meteor  that  is  able  all  alone  to  set  fire  to  the 
whole  of  Europe,  and  to  spread  the  sparks  of  its  revolutionary  fire 
to  the  most  remote  corners  of  the  world. '  *  He  dared  to  call  me  a 
meteor,  a  shining  nothing  which  after  lighting  up  the  sky  for  a  short 
while  explodes  and  dissolves  itself  into  vapor.  I  shall  prove  to  him 
and  to  the  whole  world  that  I  am  more  than  that,  and  if  I  kindle  a 
fire  in  Europe,  it  shall  be  large  enough  to  burn  every  enemy  of 
mine. " 

"  Your  glory  is  the  fire  that  will  consume  your  enemies, "  said 
Josephine,  eagerly.  "  You  will  not  reply  to  their  calumnies — your 
deeds  will  speak  for  themselves.  Do  not  heed  the  voice  of  slander, 
my  Italian,  listen  only  to  the  voice  of  your  glory.  It  will  march 
before  you  to  France  like  a  herald,  it  will  fill  all  hearts  with  enthu- 
siasm, and  all  hearts  will  hail  your  arrival  with  rapturous  applause 
— you,  the  victorious  chieftain,  the  conqueror  of  Italy  !" 

"  I  will  show  you  the  herald  I  am  going  to  send  to-day  to  France, 
to  be  presented  there  in  my  name  by  General  Joubert  to  the  Direc- 
tory, "  replied  Bonaparte.  "  It  is  a  herald  whose  mute  language  will 
be  even  more  eloquent  than  all  the  hymns  of  victory  with  which 
they  may  receive  me.  Wait  here  for  a  moment.  I  shall  be  back 
directly. " 

He  waved  his  hand  to  her  and  hastily  left  the  room.  Josephine's 
eyes  followed  him  with  an  expression  of  tender  admiration.  "  What 
a  bold  mind,  what  a  fiery  heart!"  she  said,  in  a  low  voice.  "Who 
will  stem  the  bold  flight  of  this  mind,  who  will  extinguish  the  flames 
of  this  heart?  Who—" 

*  Ibid.,  vol.  i.,  p.  263. 


166  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

The  door  opened,  and  Bonaparte  returned,  followed  by  several 
footmen  carrying  a  rolled-up  banner.  When  they  had  reached  tha 
middle  of  the  room,  he  took  it  from  them  and  told  them  to  with- 
draw. As  soon  as  the  door  had  closed  behind  them,  he  rapidly 
unrolled  the  banner  so  that  it  floated  majestically  over  his  head. 

"  Ah,  that  is  the  proud  victor  of  the  bridge  of  Arcole  !"  exclaimed 
Josephine,  enthusiastically.  "Thus  you  must  have  looked  when 
you  headed  the  column,  rushing  into  the  hail  of  balls  and  bullets, 
and  bearing  the  colors  aloft  in  your  right  hand !  Oh,  Bonaparte, 
how  glorious  you  look  under  your  glorious  banner !" 

"  Do  not  look  at  me,  but  look  at  the  banner, "  he  said.  "  Future 
generations  may  some  day  take  it  for  a  monument  from  the  fabulous 
times  of  antiquity,  and  yet  this  monument  contains  nothing  but  the 
truth.  The  Directory  shall  hang  up  this  banner  in  its  hall,  and  if  it 
should  try  to  deny  or  belittle  my  deeds,  I  shall  point  at  the  banner 
which  will  tell  every  one  what  has  been  accomplished  in  Italy  by 
the  French  army  and  its  general." 

Josephine  looked  in  silent  admiration  at  the  splendid  banner. 
It  was  made  of  the  heaviest  white  satin,  trimmed  with  a  broad 
border  of  blue  and  white.  Large  eagles,  embroidered  in  gold,  and 
decorated  with  precious  stones,  filled  the  corners  on  both  sides ; 
warlike  emblems,  executed  by  the  most  skilful  painters,  filled  the 
inside  of  the  colored  border,  and  inscriptions  in  large  gold  letters 
covered  the  centre. 

"Read  these  inscriptions,  Josephine,"  said  Bonaparte  imperi- 
ously, pointing  at  them  with  his  uplifted  arm.  "  It  is  a  simple  and 
short  history  of  our  campaign  in  Italy.  Read  aloud,  Josephine  ;  let 
me  hear  from  your  lips  the  triumphal  hymn  of  my  army  !" 

Josephine  seized  the  gold  cord  hanging  down  from  the  banner 
and  thus  kept  it  straight.  Bonaparte,  proudly  leaning  against  the 
gilt  flag-staff,  which  he  grasped  with  both  hands,  listened  smiling 
and  with  flashing  eyes  to  Josephine,  who  read  as  follows  : 

"  One  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  prisoners ;  one  hundred  and 
seventy  stands  of  colors  ;  five  hundred  and  fifty  siege-guns  ;  six  hun- 
dred field-pieces ;  five  pontoon  parks ;  nine  line -of -battle  ships,  of 
sixty-four  guns ;  twelve  frigates  of  thirty-two  guns ;  twelve  cor- 
vettes ;  eighteen  galleys ;  armistice  with  the  King  of  Sardinia ; 
treaty  with  Genoa ;  armistice  with  the  Duke  of  Parma ;  armistice 
with  the  King  of  Naples  ;  armistice  with  the  Pope  ;  preliminaries 
of  Leoben ;  treaty  of  Montebello  with  the  Republic  of  Genoa ;  treaty 
of  peace  with  the  emperor  at  Campo  Formio. 

"Liberty  restored  to  the  people  of  Bologna,  Ferrara,  Modena, 
Massacarrara,  of  the  Romagna,  of  Lombardy,  Brescia,  Bergamo, 
Mantua,  Cremona,  Chiavenna,  Bormio,  and  the  Valtellino ;  further, 


THE  BANNER  OF  GLORY.  16? 

to  the  people  of  Genoa,  to  the  vassals  of  the  emperor,  to  the  people 
of  the  department  of  Corcyra,  of  the  ^Egean  Sea  and  Ithaca. 

"  Sent  to  Paris  all  the  masterpieces  of  Michel  Angelo,  Guercino, 
Titian,  Paul  Veronese,  Correggio,  Albarro,  the  two  Carracci, 
Raphael,  and  Leonardo  da  Vinci."  * 

"  Ah,  my  friend, "  exclaimed  Josephine,  enthusiastically,  "  that 
is  a  leaf  from  history  which  the  storms  of  centuries  will  never  blow 
away !" 

Bonaparte  slowly  lowered  the  banner  until  it  almost  covered  the 
floor  and  then  he  muttered  gloomily:  "Men  are  like  leaves  in  the 
wind  ;  the  wind  blows  the  leaves  to  the  ground,  f  and — but  no, "  he 
interrupted  himself,  "  I  shall  write  my  name  on  every  rock  and  every 
mountain  in  Europe,  and  fasten  it  there  with  iron-clasps  in  such  a 
manner  that  no  winds  shall  blow  it  away  !  Oh,  footmen  !  come  in, 
roll  up  the  banner  again,  and  put  it  back  into  the  case  !" 

The  footmen  hastened  to  obey,  and  took  the  banner  away.  Bona- 
parte turned  again  to  his  wife  with  a  smile. 

"  I  promised  you  a  few  presents, "  he  said.  "  As  yet  I  have  given 
you  only  the  medals.  The  best  gift  I  have  kept  back.  Marmont 
sent  me  the  statue  of  the  Holy  Virgin  which  he  removed  from 
Loretto. " 

"  Then  you  have  not  fulfilled  my  urgent  prayers !"  said  Jose- 
phine, reproachfully.  "  Even  the  property  of  the  Church  and  of  the 
Holy  Father  at  Rome  have  not  been  safe  from  the  hands  of  the  con- 
querors !" 

"  That  is  the  law  of  war, "  said  Bonaparte.  "  Woe  to  the  places 
which  war  touches  on  its  bloody  path  !  But  you  may  reassure  your- 
self, Josephine.  I  have  only  taken  from  the  Holy  Father  these 
superfluous  things  which  he  may  easily  spare.  I  only  took  his  plate, 
his  jewelry,  and  diamonds,  thus  reducing  him  to  the  simplicity  of 
the  apostles;  and  I  am  sure  the  good  old  man  will  thank  me  for  it. 
I  have,  moreover,  only  striven  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  soul  by 
doing  so,  and  the  Roman  martyrologist  some  day  will  add  his  name 
to  the  list  of  saints.  \  The  jewels  and  the  gold  I  sent  to  Paris,  to- 
gether with  the  statue  of  the  Madonna  of  Loretto,  but  I  retained  a 
few  relics  for  you,  Josephine.  See  here  the  most  precious  one  of 
them  all !" 

He  handed  her  a  small  paper,  carefully  folded  up.     Josephine 

*  This  wonderful  banner  was  hung  up  in  the  hall  of  the  Directory  while  the  mem- 
bers of  the  latter  were  occupying  the  Luxemburg.  It  afterward  accompanied  the 
three  consuls  to  the  Tuileries,  and  was  preserved  there  in  the  large  reception-room. 
It  is  now  in  the  "  Dome  des  Invalides"  in  the  chapel  containing  the  emperor's  sar- 
cophagus. 

t  Homer. 

JLe  Nennand,  vol.  i.,  p.  243. 


168  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

hastily  opened  it  and  asked,  in  surprise — "  A  piece  of  black  woollen 
cloth  !  And  that  is  a  relic?" 

"And  a  most  precious  one  at  that!  It  is  Loretto's  most 
priceless  treasure.  It  is  a  piece  of  the  gown  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  in 
which  she  was  mourning  for  the  Saviour.*  Preserve  this  relic  care- 
fully, dear  Josephine,  and  may  it  protect  you  from  danger  and  grief  !" 

Josephine  folded  up  the  piece  of  cloth,  and  opening  a  large  locket 
hanging  on  her  neck  on  a  heavy  gold  chain,  she  laid  the  cloth  into 
it,  and  then  closed  the  locket  again. 

"That  shall  be  the  sanctuary  of  my  relic,"  she  said.  "I  shall 
keep  it  till  I  die. " 

"Why  do  you  speak  of  dying?"  he  exclaimed,  almost  indignantly. 
"What  have  we  to  do  with  grim-death?  We,  to  whom  life  has  to 
fulfil  and  offer  so  much  !  We  shall  return  to  Paris,  and,  if  it  please 
God,  a  great  future  is  awaiting  us  there  !" 

"If  it  please  God,  a  happy  future!"  said  Josephine,  fervently. 
"  Oh,  Bonaparte,  how  gladly  I  shall  reenter  our  dear  little  house  in 
the  Rue  Chantereine,  where  we  passed  the  first  happy  days  of  our 
love !" 

"  No,  Josephine, "  he  exclaimed,  impetuously,  "  that  little  house 
will  not  be  a  fitting  abode  for  the  conqueror  of  Italy.  I  am  no  longer 
the  poor  general  who  had  nothing  but  his  sword.  I  return  rich  in 
glory,  and  not  poor  as  far  as  money  is  concerned.  I  might  have 
easily  appropriated  the  spoils  amounting  to  many  millions  ;  but  I 
disdained  the  money  of  spoliation  and  bribery,  and  what  little 
money  I  have  got  now,  was  acquired  in  an  honest  and  chivalrous 
manner,  f  It  is  sufficient,  however,  to  secure  a  brilliant  existence 
to  us.  I  shall  not  be  satisfied  until  I  live  with  you  in  a  house  corre- 
sponding with  the  splendor  of  my  name.  I  need  a  palace,  and  shall 
have  it  decorated  with  all  the  stands  of  colors  I  have  taken  in  Italy. 
To  you  alone,  Josephine,  to  you  I  intrust  the  care  of  designating  to 
me  a  palace  worthy  of  being  offered  to  me  by  the  nation  I  have  im- 
mortalized, and  worthy  also  of  a  wife  whose  beauty  and  grace  could 
only  beautify  it.  \  Come,  Josephine — come  to  Paris !  Let  us  select 
such  a  palace !" 

*  Ibid.,  vol.  i.,p.  246. 

+  Bonaparte  at  St.  Helena  said  to  Las  Casas  that  he  had  brought  only  three  hun- 
dred thousand  francs  from  Italy.  Bourrienne  asserts,  however,  Bonaparte  had 
brought  home  no  less  than  three  million  francs.  He  adds,  however,  that  this  sum 
•was  not  the  fruit  of  peculation  and  corruption,  Bonaparte  having  been  an  incorrupt- 
ible administrator.  But  he  had  discovered  the  mines  of  Yorda,  and  he  had  an  inter- 
est in  the  meat  contracts  for  the  army.  He  wanted  to  be  independent,  and  knew 
better  than  any  one  else  that  he  could  not  be  independent  without  money.  He  said 
to  Bourrienne  in  regard  to  it,  "  I  am  nc-  Capuchin  1  " — Meuioires  de  Bourrienne,  vol. 
li.,  p.  47. 

$Le  Normand,  vol.  i.,  p.  265. 


MINISTER  THUGUT.  169 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

MINISTER    THUGUT. 

THE  prime  minister,  Baron  Thugut,  was  in  his  study.  It  was 
yet  early  in  the  morning,  and  the  minister  had  just  entered  his  room 
in  order  to  begin  his  political  task.  On  the  large  green  table  at 
which  Thugut  had  just  sat  down,  there  lay  the  dispatches  and  letters 
delivered  by  the  couriers  who  had  arrived  during  the  night  and  early 
in  the  morning.  There  were,  besides,  unfolded  documents  and  de- 
crees, waiting  for  the  minister's  signature,  in  order  to  become  valid 
laws.  But  the  minister  took  no  notice  whatever  of  these  papers, 
but  first  seized  the  newspapers  and  other  periodicals,  which  he  com- 
menced reading  with  great  eagerness.  While  he  was  perusing  them, 
his  stern  features  assumed  a  still  harsher  mien,  and  a  gloomy  cloud 
settled  on  his  brow.  Suddenly  he  uttered  a  wild  oath  and  violently 
hurling  the  paper,  in  which  he  had  been  reading,  to  the  floor,  he 
jumped  up  from  his  chair. 

"  Such  impudence  is  altogether  intolerable  !"  he  shouted,  angrily. 
"  It  is  high  time  for  me  to  teach  these  newspaper  scribblers  another 
lesson,  and  they  shall  have  it !  I — " 

Just  then,  the  door  of  the  anteroom  opened,  and  a  footman 
entered.  He  informed  his  master  that  the  police  minister,  Count 
Saurau,  wished  to  see  him. 

Baron  Thugut  ordered  him  to  be  admitted  at  once,  and  went  to 
meet  him  as  soon  as  he  heard  him  come  in. 

•  "  You  anticipate  my  wishes,  my  dear  count, "  he  said.     "  I  was 
just  going  to  send  for  you. " 

"  Your  excellency  knows  that  I  am  always  ready  to  obey  your 
calls, "  replied  Count  Saurau,  politely.  u  I  acknowledge  your  superi- 
ority and  submit  to  you  as  though  you  were  my  lord  and  master; 
notwithstanding  our  position  in  society  and  in  the  state  service, 
which  is  almost  an  equal  one,  I  willingly  permit  you  to  treat  me  as 
your  disciple  and  inferior. " 

"  And  I  believe  that  is  the  wisest  course  you  can  pursue,  my  dear 
little  count,"  said  Thugut,  laughing  sarcastically.  "It  has  been 
good  for  you  to  do  so,  I  should  think,  and  so  it  has  been  for  the , 
whole  Austrian  ship  of  state,  that  has  been  intrusted  to  my  guidance. 
Yes,  sir,  the  son  of  the  ship-builder  Thunichtgut  has  shown  to  you 
and  your  fellow -members  of  the  ancient  aristocracy  that  talents  and 
ability  are  no  exclusive  privileges  of  your  class,  and  that  a  common 
ship-builder's  son  may  become  prime  minister,  and  that  a  low-born 
Thunichtgut  may  be  transformed  into  a  Baron  von  Thugut.  The 


170  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

great  Empress  Maria  Theresa  has  performed  this  miracle,  and  bap- 
tized me,  and  I  believe  Austria  never  found  fault  with  her  for  doing 
so.  The  ship-builder's  son  has  piloted  the  ship  of  state  tolerably 
skilfully  through  the  breakers  up  to  the  present  time,  and  he  shall 
do  so  in  future  too,  in  spite  of  all  counts  and  aristocrats.  You  see, 
I  do  not  try  to  conceal  my  humble  descent ;  nay,  I  boast  of  it,  and  it 
is  therefore  quite  unnecessary  for  you  to  remind  me  of  what  I  never 
want  to  forget !" 

"  I  see  that  some  late  occurrence  must  have  excited  your  excel- 
lency's just  anger,"  exclaimed  Count  Saurau. 

"  And  being  police  minister,  you  doubtless  know  all  about  that 
occurrence, "  said  Thugut,  sarcastically. 

Count  Saurau  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  I  confess  I  am  unable 
to  divine — " 

"  Then  you  have  not  read  the  papers  this  morning?"  asked  Thugut, 
scornfully.  "  You  have  no  idea  of  the  infamous  attack  which  an 
aristocratic  newspaper  scribbler  has  dared  to  make  upon  me,  nay, 
upon  the  emperor  himself  ?" 

"  I  confess  that  I  do  not  understand  what  your  excellency  means, " 
said  Count  Saurau,  anxiously. 

"Well,  then,  listen  to  me  !"  exclaimed  Thugut,  seizing  the  paper 
again.  "Listen  to  what  I  am  going  to  read  to  you:  'At  a  time 
when  the  whole  Austrian  people  are  longing  for  peace,  when  our 
august  Empress  Theresia  and  our  dearly  beloved  Archduke  Charles 
share  these  sentiments  of  the  people  and  give  expression  to  them  at 
the  feet  of  the  throne  and  in  opposition  to  those  who  would  deluge 
our  cherished  Austria  with  the  miseries  and  dangers  of  war — at  such 
a  time  we  fondly  look  back  into  the  great  history  of  our  country  and 
remember  what  has  been  accomplished  by  great  and  gifted  members 
of  our  imperial  house  in  former  periods  for  the  welfare  and  tran- 
quillity of  Austria ;  we  remember,  for  instance,  that  Austria  in 
1619,  like  to-day,  was  threatened  by  enemies  and  on  the  eve  of  a 
terrible  war,  not  because  the  honor  and  welfare  of  Austria  rendered 
such  a  war  necessary,  but  because  the  ambitious  and  arrogant  minis- 
ter, Cardinal  Clesel,  was  obstinately  opposed  to  peace,  and  utterly  un- 
mindful of  the  wishes  of  the  people.  He  alone,  he,  the  all-powerful 
minister,  was  in  favor  of  war  ;  he  overwhelmed  the  weak  Emperor 
Mathias  with  his  demands ;  and  when  the  latter,  owing  to  the 
anxiety  he  had  to  undergo,  was  taken  sick,  he  even  pursued  him 
with  his  clamor  for  war  into  his  sick-room.  But  then  the  arch- 
dukes, the  emperor' s  brothers,  boldly  determined  to  interfere.  They 
arrested  the  rascally  minister  at  the  emperor's  bedside,  and  sent  him 
to  Castle  Ambrass  in  the  Tyrol,  where  he  suffered  long  impris- 
onment, a  just  punishment  for  his  arrogance  and  for  his  at- 


MINISTER  THUGUT.  171 

tempt  to  involve  the  country  in  a  war  so  distasteful  to  all  classes 
of  the  people.  About  half  a  century  later  a  similar  occurrence  took 
place.  There  was  again  a  minister  advocating  war  in  spite  of  the 
whole  Austrian  people.  It  was  in  1673.  The  minister  to  whose 
suggestions  the  Emperor  Leopold  lent  a  willing  ear  at  that  time,  was 
Prince  Lobkowitz.  But  the  Empress  Claudia  had  compassion  on  the 
people,  groaning  under  the  heavy  yoke  of  the  minister.  She  alone 
prevailed  upon  the  emperor  by  her  eloquence  and  beauty  to  deprive 
Prince  Lobkowitz  suddenly  of  all  his  honors  and  offices  and  to  send 
him  on  a  common  hay- wagon  amidst  the  contemptuous  scoffs  and 
jeers  of  the  populace  of  Vienna  to  the  fortress  of  Raudnitz,  forbidding 
him  under  pain  of  death  to  inquire  about  the  cause  of  his  punish- 
ment. '  * 

"  Well, "  asked  Thugut,  when  he  ceased  reading,  "  what  do  you 
think  of  that?" 

"  I  believe  the  article  contains  very  idle  historical  reminiscences, " 
said  Count  Saurau,  shrugging  his  shoulders  ;  "  these  reminiscences, 
according  to  my  opinion,  have  no  bearing  whatever  upon  our  own 
times. " 

"  That  is,  you  will  not  admit  their  bearing  upon  our  own  times, 
my  dear  little  count ;  you  pretend  not  to  perceive  that  the  whole 
article  is  directed  against  myself  ;  that  the  object  is  to  exasperate 
the  people  against  me  and  to  encourage  my  enemies  to  treat  me  in 
the  same  manner  as  Clesel  and  Lobkowitz  were  treated.  The  article 
alludes  to  the  archdukes  who  overthrew  the  minister  so  obstinately 
opposed  to  peace,  and  to  the  Empress  Claudia  who  profited  by  her 
power  over  the  emperor  in  order  to  ruin  an  all-powerful  minister, 
her  enemy.  And  you  pretend  not  to  see  that  all  this  is  merely  re- 
ferred to  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  Archduke  Charles  and  the 
Empress  Theresia  to  act  as  those  have  acted?  Both  are  at  the  head 
of  the  peace  party  ;  both  want  peace  with  France,  and  in  their  short- 
sightedness and  stupidity,  they  are  enthusiastic  admirers  of  that 
French  general  Bonaparte,  whom  they  call  'the  Italian,'  unmind- 
ful of  the  great  probability  of  his  designating  himself  some  day  by 
the  sobriquet  of  '  the  Austrian, '  unless  we  oppose  him  energetically 
and  set  bounds  to  his  thirst  after  conquest.  They  want  to  get  rid  of 
me  in  the  same  manner  as  their  predecessors  got  rid  of  Cardinal 
Clesel.  But  I  hold  the  helm  as  yet,  and  do  not  mean  to  relinquish  it. " 

"  It  would  be  a  terrible  misfortune  for  Austria  if  your  excellency 
should  do  so, "  said  Count  Saurau,  in  his  soft,  bland  voice.  "  I  do 
not  believe  that  either  the  Empress  Theresa  or  the  Archduke  Charles 
will  act  in  a  hostile  manner  toward  you. " 

"  And  if  they  should  do  so,  I  would  not  tolerate  it, "  exclaimed 

*  Vide  JHormayer,  "  Lebensbilder  aus  dem  Befreiungskriege,"  vol.  i.,  p.  321. 


17»  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Thugut.  "  My  adversaries,  whosoever  they  may  be,  had  better  beware 
of  my  elephant  foot  not  stamping  them  into  the  ground.  I  hate 
that  boastful,  revolutionary  France,  and  to  remain  at  peace  with 
her  is  equivalent  to  drawing  toward  us  the  ideas  of  the  revolution 
and  of  a  general  convulsion.  Short-sighted  people  will  not  believe 
it,  and  they  are  my  enemies  because  I  am  a  true  friend  of  Austria. 
But  being  a  true  friend  of  Austria,  I  must  combat  all  those  who  dare 
oppose  and  impede  me,  for  in  my  person  they  oppose  and  impede 
Austria.  First  of  all  things,  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  get  rid  of 
those  newspaper  editors  and  scribblers  ;  they  are  arrogant,  insolent 
fellows  who  imagine  they  know  every  thing  and  are  able  to  criticise 
every  thing,  and  who  feel  called  upon  to  give  their  opinion  about  all 
things  and  on  all  occasions  because  they  know  how  to  wield  a  goose- 
quill.  The  best  thing  we  could  do  would  be  to  suppress  all  newspa- 
pers and  periodicals.  Shaping  the  course  of  politics  ourselves,  we 
do  not  need  any  newspapers,  which  after  all  are  nothing  but  rumi- 
nating oxen  of  what  we  have  eaten  and  digested  already  ;  the  people 
do  not  understand  any  thing  about  it,  nor  is  it  necessary  that  they 
should.  The  people  have  to  work,  to  obey,  to  pay  taxes,  and,  if 
necessary,  to  give  up  their  lives  for  their  sovereign  ;  they  need  not 
know  any  thing  further  about  politics,  and  if  they  do,  it  is  generally 
detrimental  to  their  obedience.  Let  us  drive  away,  then,  that 
noxious  crowd  of  newspaper  writers  and  pamphleteers  who  dare  en- 
lighten the  people  by  their  political  trash.  Ah,  I  will  teach  Count 
Erlach  that  it  is  a  little  dangerous  to  become  a  newspaper  editor  and 
to  serve  up  entremets  of  historical  reminiscences  to  the  people  of 
Vienna !  I  will  cram  them  down  his  own  throat  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  deprive  him — " 

"  Count  Erlach  is  the  author  of  the  article  your  excellency  read 
to  me  just  now?"  asked  Count  Saurau,  in  great  terror. 

"  There,  his  name  is  affixed  to  it  in  large  letters, "  replied  Thugut, 
contemptuously  ;  "  he  has  not  even  taken  pains  to  conceal  it.  We 
have  to  return  thanks  to  him  for  his  sincerity,  and  I  hope  you  will 
take  the  trouble  of  expressing  our  gratitude  to  him. " 

"What  does  your  excellency  want  me  to  do?"  asked  the  police 
minister,  anxiously.  "  I  believe  it  would  not  be  prudent  for  us  to 
make  much  ado  about  it. " 

"Of  course  not,"  said  Thugut,  laughing.  "Do  I  like  to  make 
much  ado  about  any  thing,  which  would  only  give  rise  to  scandal 
and  idle  gossip?  Just  reflect  a  while,  my  dear  little  count.  What 
did  we  do,  for  instance,  with  the  Neapolitan  Count  Montalban,  who 
became  a  thorn  in  our  side,  and  endeavored  to  gain  power  over  the 
emperor?  Did  we  accuse  him  of  high  treason?  Did  we  prefer  any 
charges  against  him  at  all?  We  merely  caused  him  to  disappear, 


MINISTER  THUGUT.  173 

and  no  one  know  what  had  become  of  the  interesting  and  handsome 
count.  People  spoke  for  three  or  four  days  about  his  mysterious 
disappearance,  and  then  forgot  all  about  it.  *  My  dear  sir,  there  is 
nothing  like  oubliettes  and  secret  prisons.  I  have  often  already 
preached  that  to  you,  and  you  always  forget  it.  Violence  !  Who 
will  be  such  a  fool  as  to  betray  his  little  secrets  by  acts  of  open  vio- 
lence? We  happen  to  stand  on  the  great  stage  of  life,  and,  like 
every  other  stage,  there  are  trap-doors  in  the  floor,  through  which 
those  will  disappear  who  have  performed  their  parts.  Let  us,  there- 
fore, cause  Count  Erlach,  the  political  writer,  to  vanish  by  means  of 
such  a  trap-door. " 

"  I  implore  your  excellency  to  show  indulgence  for  once, "  said 
Count  Saurau,  urgently.  "  Count  Erlach  is  an  intimate  friend  of 
Archduke  Charles,  and  even  the  Empress  Theresia  is  attached  to  him. " 

"  The  greater  the  necessity  for  me  to  get  rid  of  him,  and  to  return 
my  thanks  in  this  manner  for  the  blows  they  want  to  deal  me  by 
means  of  their  historical  reminiscences.  This  Count  Erlach  is  a 
very  disgusting  fellow,  at  all  events ;  he  would  like  to  play  the  in- 
corruptible Eoman  and  to  shine  by  his  virtue.  There  is  nothing 
more  tedious  and  intolerable  than  a  virtuous  man  who  cannot  be  got 
at  anywhere.  Count  Erlach  has  now  given  us  a  chance  to  get  hold 
of  him  ;  let  us  improve  it. " 

"He  has  very  influential  connections,  very  powerful  protectors, 
your  excellency.  If  he  should  disappear,  they  will  raise  a  terrible 
outcry  about  it,  and  make  it  their  special  business  to  seek  him,  and 
if  they  should  not  find  him  they  will  say  we  had  killed  him  because 
your  excellency  was  afraid  of  him. " 

" I  was  afraid  of  him  !"  exclaimed  Thugut,  laughing.  "As  if  I 
ever  had  been  afraid  of  any  one.  Even  an  earthquake  would  not  be 
able  to  frighten  me,  and,  like  Fabricius,  I  should  only  look  around 
quite  slowly  for  the  hidden  elephant  of  Pyrrhus.  No,  I  know  no 
fear,  but  I  want  others  to  feel  fear,  and  for  this  reason  Count  Erlach 
must  be  disposed  of. " 

"  Very  well,  let  us  get  rid  of  him, "  replied  Count  Saurau,  "  but  in 
a  simple  manner  and  before  the  eyes  of  the  whole  public.  Believe 
me  for  once,  your  excellency,  I  know  the  ground  on  which  we  are 
standing ;  I  know  it  to  be  undermined  and  ready  to  explode  and 
blow  us  up.  Count  Erlach 's  disappearance  would  be  the  burning 
match  that  might  bring  about  the  explosion.  Let  us  be  cautious, 
therefore.  Let  us  remove  him  beyond  the  frontier,  and  threaten 
him  with  capital  punishment  in  case  he  ever  should  dare  to  reenter 
Austria,  but  let  us  permit  him  now  to  leave  the  country  without  any 
injury  whatever." 

*  Lebensbilder,  vol.  i.,  p.  321. 


174  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  Well,  be  it  so.  I  will  let  you  have  your  own  way,  my  dear 
anxious  friend.  Have  Erlach  arrested  to-day  ;  let  two  police  com- 
missioners transport  him  beyond  the  frontier,  and  threaten  him 
with  capital  punishment,  or  with  my  revenge — which  will  be  the 
same  to  him — in  case  he  should  return.  Let  the  scribblers  and 
newspapers  learn,  too,  why  Count  Erlach  was  exiled.  The  prudent 
men  among  them  will  be  warned  by  his  fate,  and  hereafter  hold 
their  tongues  ;  the  stupid  and  audacious  fellows,  however,  will  raise 
an  outcry  about  the  occurrence,  and  thus  give  us  a  chance  to  get  hold 
of  them  likewise.  The  matter  is  settled,  then ;  the  aristocratic  news  • 
paper  writer  will  be  transported  from  the  country,  and  that  is  the  end 
of  it.*  But  I  shall  seek  further  satisfaction  for  these  articles  in  the 
newspapers.  Oh,  the  new  Empress  Theresia  and  the  archduke  shall 
find  out  that  I  am  no  Clesel  or  Lobkowitz  to  be  got  rid  of  by  means 
of  an  intrigue.  I  shall  try  to  obtain  in  the  course  of  to-day  an  order 
from  the  emperor,  removing  the  archduke  from  the  command  of 
the  army  and  causing  him  to  retire  into  private  life.  He  wants 
peace  and  repose  in  so  urgent  a  manner  ;  let  him  sleep  and  dream, 
then,  while  we  are  up  and  doing.  I  need  a  resolute  and  coura- 
geous general  at  the  head  of  the  army,  a  man  who  hates  the 
French,  and  not  one  who  is  friendly  to  them.  But  as  for  the 
empress — ' 

"  Your  excellency, "  interrupted  Count  Saurau,  with  a  mysterious 
air,  "  I  called  upon  you  to-day  for  the  purpose  of  speaking  to  you 
about  the  empress,  and  of  cautioning  you  against — " 

"Cautioning  me?"  exclaimed  Thugut,  with  proud  disdain. 
"What  is  the  matter,  then?" 

"  You  know  assuredly  that  the  Empress  Theresia  has  fully  recov- 
ered from  her  confinement,  and  that  she  has  held  levees  for  a  whole 
week  already. " 

"  As  if  I  had  not  been  the  first  to  obtain  an  audience  and  to  kiss 
her  hand  !"  exclaimed  Thugut,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

"  The  empress, "  continued  Saurau,  "  has  received  the  ambassadors 
also  ;  she  even  had  two  interviews  already  with  the  minister  of  the 
French  Republic,  General  Bernadotte. " 

Thugut  suddenly  became  quite  attentive,  and  fixed  his  small, 
piercing  eyes  upon  the  police  minister  with  an  expression  of  intense 
suspense. 

"Two  interviews?"  he  asked.  "And  you  know  what  they  con- 
ferred about  in  these  two  interviews?" 

"  I  should  be  a  very  poor  police  minister,  and  my  secret  agents 

*  Count  Erlach  was  really  transported  beyond  the  Austrian  frontier  by  two  police 
commissioners.  Only  after  Thugut's  overthrow  in  1801  was  he  allowed  to  return  to 
Austria  and  Vienna.— Lebenabilder,  vol.  i.,  p.  381. 


MINISTER  THUGUT.  175 

would  furnish  me  very  unsatisfactory  information,  if  I  did  not 
know  it." 

"  Well,  let  us  hear  all  about  it,  my  dear  count.  What  did  the 
empress  say  to  Bernadotte  ?" 

"  In  the  first  audience  General  Bernadotte  began  by  reading  his 
official  speech  to  her  majesty,  and  the  empress  listened  to  him  with 
a  gloomy  air.  But  then  they  entered  upon  a  less  ceremonious  con- 
versation, and  Bernadotte  assured  the  empress  that  France  enter- 
tained no  hostile  intentions  whatever  against  Naples,  her  native 
country.  He  said  he  had  been  authorized  by  the  Directory  of  the 
Republic  to  assure  her  majesty  officially  that  she  need  not  feel  any 
apprehensions  in  relation  to  Naples,  France  being  animated  by  the 
most  friendly  feelings  toward  that  kingdom.  The  face  of  the  em- 
press lighted  up  at  once,  and  she  replied  to  the  general  in  very  gra- 
cious terms,  and  gave  him  permission  to  renew  his  visits  to  her 
majesty  whenever  he  wished  to  communicate  any  thing  to  her.  He 
had  asked^her  to  grant  him  this  permission. " 

"  I  knew  the  particulars  of  this  first  interview,  except  the  passage 
referring  to  this  permission, "  said  Thugut,  quietly. 

"But  this  permission  precisely  is  of  the  highest  importance, 
your  excellency,  for  the  empress  thereby  gives  the  French  minister 
free  access  to  her  rooms.  He  is  at  liberty  to  see  her  as  often  as  he 
wishes,  to  communicate  any  thing  to  her.  It  seems  the  general  has 
to  make  many  communications  to  her  majesty,  for  two  days  after 
the  first  audience,  that  is  yesterday,  General  Bernadotte  again  re- 
paired to  the  Hofburg  in  order  to  see  the  empress. "  * 

"And  did  she  admit  him?"  asked  Thugut. 

"  Yes,  she  admitted  him,  your  excellency.  This  time  the  general 
did  not  confine  himself  to  generalities,  but  fully  unbosomed  himself 
to  her  majesty.  He  confessed  to  the  empress  that  France  was  very 
anxious  to  maintain  peace  with  Naples  as  well  as  with  Austria ; 
adding,  however,  that  this  would  be  much  facilitated  by  friendly 
advances,  especially  on  the  part  of  Austria.  Austria,  instead  of 
pursuing  such  a  policy,  was  actuated  by  hostile  intentions  toward 
France.  When  the  empress  asked  for  an  explanation  of  these  words, 
Bernadotte  was  bold  enough  to  present  to  her  a  memorial  directed 
against  the  policy  of  your  excellency,  and  in  which  the  general  said 
he  had  taken  pains,  by  order  of  the  Directory,  to  demonstrate  that 
the  policy  of  Baron  Thugut  was  entirely  incompatible  with  a  good 
understanding  between  Austria  and  France,  and  that,  without  such 
an  understanding,  the  fate  of  Naples  could  not  be  but  very  uncertain. " 

"What  did  the  empress  reply?"  asked  Thugut,  whose  mien  did 
not  betray  a  symptom  of  excitement  or  anger. 

*  "  MSmoires  <Tun  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  485. 


176  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

"Her  majesty  replied  she  would  read  the  memorial  with  the 
greatest  attention,  and  keep  it  a  profound  secret  from  every  one. 
She  added,  however,  she  feared  lest,  even  if  the  memorial  should 
convince  herself  of  the  inexpediency  of  Baron  Thugut's  policy,  it 
might  be  difficult  if  not  impossible  to  induce  the  emperor  to  take  a 
similar  view  of  the  matter — his  majesty  reposing  implicit  confi- 
dence in  his  prime  minister  and  being  perfectly  satisfied  of  your 
excellency's  fidelity,  honesty,  and  incorruptibility.  After  this 
reply,  Bernadotte  approached  the  empress  somewhat  nearer,  and 
cautiously  and  searchingly  glanced  around  the  room  in  order  to 
satisfy  himself  that  no  one  but  her  majesty  could  overhear  his  words. 
Just  then — " 

"Well,  why  do  you  hesitate?"  asked  Thugut,  hastily. 

"  My  tongue  refuses  to  repeat  the  calumnies  which  the  French 
minister  has  dared  to  utter. " 

"  Compel  your  tongue  to  utter  them,  and  let  me  hear  them, "  ex- 
claimed Thugut,  sarcastically.  , 

"With  your  excellency's  leave,  then.  Bernadotte  then  almost 
bent  down  to  the  ear  of  the  empress  and  said  to  her,  whisperingly, 
the  Directory  of  France  were  in  possession  of  papers  that  would 
compromise  Minister  Thugut  and  furnish  irrefutable  proofs  that 
Minister  Thugut  was  by  no  means  a  reliable  and  honest  adviser  of 
his  majesty,  inasmuch  as  he  was  in  the  pay  of  foreign  powers,  Eng- 
land and  Russia  particularly,  who  paid  him  millions  for  always 
fanning  anew  the  flames  of  Austria's  hostility  against  France. 
Bernadotte  added  that  these  papers  were  on  the  way  and  would 
arrive  at  Vienna  by  the  next  courier.  He  asked  the  empress  if  she 
would  permit  him  to  hand  these  papers  to  her  for  placing  them  into 
the  hands  of  the  emperor. " 

"And  the  empress?" 

"  The  empress  promised  it,  and  granted  a  third  audience  to  the 
minister  as  soon  as  he  should  be  in  possession  of  the  papers  and 
apply  for  an  interview  with  her. "  * 

"Are  you  through?"  asked  Thugut,  with  the  greatest  composure. 

"  Not  yet,  your  excellency.  It  remains  for  me  to  tell  you  that  the 
courier  expected  by  Bernadotte  arrived  last  night  at  the  hotel  of  the 
French  embassy,  and  that  the  minister  himself  immediately  left  his 
couch  in  order  to  receive  the  dispatches  in  person.  Early  this  morn- 
ing an  extraordinary  activity  prevailed  among  the  employes  of  the 
embassy,  and  the  first  attacM  as  well  as  the  secretary  of  legation 
left  the  hotel  at  a  very  early  hour.  The  former  with  a  letter  from 
Bernadotte  repaired  to  Laxenburg  where  the  empress,  as  is  well 
known  to  your  excellency,  has  been  residing  with  her  court  for  the 
*  "  M6moires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  890. 


MINISTER  THUGUT.  177 

last  few  days.  After  the  lapse  of  an  hour,  he  returned,  and  brought 
the  general  the  verbal  reply  from  the  empress  that  her  majesty 
would  return  to  Vienna  in  order  to  attend  the  festival  of  the  volun- 
teers, and  would  then  be  ready  to  grant  an  immediate  audience  to 
the  ambassador. " 

"And  whither  did  the  secretary  of  legation  go?" 

"  First  to  one  of  our  most  fashionable  military  tailors,*  and  then 
to  a  dry-goods  store.  At  the  tailor's  he  ordered  a  banner,  which  is 
to  be  ready  in  the  course  of  this  evening,  and  at  the  dry-goods  store 
he  purchased  the  material  required  for  this  banner — blue,  white, 
and  red.  Now,  your  excellency,  I  am  through  with  my  report." 

"  I  confess,  my  dear  count,  that  I  have  listened  to  you  with  the 
most  intense  pleasure  and  satisfaction,  and  that  I  cannot  refrain 
from  expressing  to  you  my  liveliest  admiration  for  the  vigilance 
and  energy  of  your  police,  who  do  not  merely  unfathom  the  past 
and  present,  but  also  the  future.  In  three  days,  then,  the  ambassa- 
dor of  France  will  have  an  interview  with  the  empress?" 

"  Yes,  your  excellency,  and  he  will  then  deliver  to  her  the  above- 
mentioned  papers. " 

"  Provided  he  has  got  any  such  papers,  my  friend  !  Papers  that 
might  compromise  me  !  As  if  there  were  any  such  papers  !  As  if  I 
ever  had  been  so  stupid  as  to  intrust  secrets  to  a  scrap  of  paper  and 
to  betray  to  it  what  every  one  must  not  know.  He  who  wants  to 
keep  secrets — and  I  understand  that  exceedingly  well — will  intrust 
them  just  as  little  to  paper  as  to  human  ear.  I  should  burn  my  own 
hair  did  I  believe  that  it  had  got  wind  of  the  ideas  of  my  head.  I 
would  really  like  to  see  these  papers  which  Bernadotte — : 

The  sudden  appearance  of  the  valet  de  chambre  interrupted  the 
minister.  "Your  excellency,"  he  said,  "the  ambassador  of  the 
French  Republic,  General  Bernadotte,  would  like  to  see  your  excel- 
lency immediately  concerning  a  very  important  and  urgent  affair. " 

Thugut  exchanged  a  rapid,  smiling  glance  with  the  count. 
"Take  the  ambassador  to  the  reception-room  and  tell  him  that  I 
shall  wait  on  him  at  once. " 

"Well?"  he  asked,  when  the  valet  had  withdrawn.  "Do  you 
still  believe  that  Bernadotte  has  got  papers  that  would  compromise 
me?  Would  he  call  on  me  in  that  case?  He  doubtless  intends  tell- 
ing me  his  ridiculous  story,  too,  or  he  wishes  to  intimidate  me  by 
his  interviews  with  the  empress,  so  as  to  prevail  on  me  to  accede 
to  the  desires  of  France  and  to  become  more  pliable.  But  he  is 
entirely  mistaken.  I  am  neither  afraid  of  his  interviews  with  the" 
empress,  nor  of  Bernadotte's  papers,  and  shall  immovably  pursue 

*  Military  tailors  are  tailors  who  have  the  exclusive  privilege  of  furnishing  uni- 
forms, etc . ,  to  the  officers  of  the  army. 


178  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

my  own  path.  If  it  please  God,  this  path  will  soon  lead  me  to  a 
point  where  the  battle  against  those  overbearing  French  may  be  be- 
gun in  a  very  safe  and  satisfactory  manner.  Come,  my  dear  count, 
accompany  me  to  the  adjoining  room.  I  shall  leave  the  door  ajar 
that  leads  into  the  reception-room,  for  I  want  you  to  be  an  invisible 
witness  to  my  interview  with  the  ambassador.  Come !" 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  VOLUNTEERS. 

HE  quietly  took  the  count's  arm  and  went  with  him  to  the  ad- 
joining room.  Indicating  to  him  a  chair  standing  not  far  from  the 
other  door,  he  walked  rapidly  forward  and  entered  the  reception- 
room. 

General  Bernadotte,  quite  a  young  man,  approached  him  with  a 
stiff  and  dignified  bearing,  and  there  was  an  expression  of  bold  de- 
fiance and  undisguised  hostility  plainly  visible  on  his  youthful  and 
handsome  features. 

Thugut,  on  his  side,  had  called  a  smile  upon  his  lips,  and  his 
eyes  were  radiant  with  affability  and  mildness. 

"  I  am  very  glad,  general,  to  see  you  here  at  so  unexpected  an 
hour,"  he  said,  politely.  "Truly,  this  is  a  distinction  that  will 
cause  all  of  our  pretty  ladies  to  be  jealous  of  me,  and  I  am  afraid, 
general,  you  will  still  more  exasperate  the  fair  sex,  who  never  would 
grant  me  their  favor,  against  myself,  for  I  am  now  assuredly  to 
blame  if  some  of  our  most  beautiful  ladies  now  should  vainly  wait 
for  your  arrival. " 

"  I  am  always  very  punctual  in  my  appointments,  your  excellency, 
whether  they  be  armed  rencounters  or  such  rendezvous  as  your  excel- 
lency has  mentioned  just  now,  and,  therefore,  seems  to  like  espe- 
cially," said  Bernadotte,  gravely.  "I  call  upon  your  excellency, 
however,  in  the  name  of  a  lady,  too — in  the  name  of  the  French 
Republic !" 

"  And  she  is,  indeed,  a  very  exalted  and  noble  lady,  to  whom  the 
whole  world  is  bowing  reverentially, "  said  Thugut,  smiling. 

"In  the  name  of  the  French  Republic  and  of  the  French  Directory, 
I  would  like  to  inquire  of  your  excellency  whether  or  not  it  is  a  fact 
that  a  popular  festival  will  be  held  to-morrow  here  in  Vienna?" 

"A  popular  festival !  Ah,  my  dear  general,  I  should  not  have 
thought  that  the  French  Republic  would  take  so  lively  an  interest  in 
the  popular  festivals  of  the  Germans !  But  I  must  take  the  liberty 
of  requesting  you,  general,  to  apply  with  this  inquiry  to  Count 


THE   FESTIVAL  OF  THE  VOLUNTEERS.  179 

Saurau.      For  it  is  the  duty  of  the  police  minister  to  watch  over 
these  innocent  amusements  and  harmless  festivals  of  the  people. " 

"The  celebration  I  refer  to  is  neither  an  innocent  amusement 
nor  a  harmless  festival, "  exclaimed  Bernadotte,  hastily ;  "  on  the 
contrary,  it  is  a  political  demonstration. " 

"  A  political  demonstration  ?"  repeated  Thugut,  in  surprise.  "  By 
whom?  And  directed  against  whom?" 

"  A  political  demonstration  of  Austria  against  the  French  Repub- 
lie, "  said  the  general,  gravely.  "  It  is  true,  your  excellency  pretends 
not  to  know  any  hing  about  this  festival  of  the  thirteenth  of  April, 
but—" 

"  Permit  me,  sir, "  interrupted  Thugut,  "  is  to-morrow  the  thir- 
teenth of  April?" 

"  Yes,  your  excellency. " 

"Then  I  must  say  that  I  know  something  about  this  festival,  and 
that  I  am  able  to  inform  you  about  it.  Yes,  general,  there  will  be 
a  popular  festival  to-morrow. " 

"May  I  inquire  for  what  purpose?" 

"Ah,  general,  that  is  very  simple.  It  is  just  a  year  to-morrow, 
on  the  thirteenth  of  April,  that  the  whole  youth  of  Vienna,  believ- 
ing the  country  to  be  endangered  and  the  capital  threatened  by  the 
enemy,  in  their  noble  patriotism  voluntarily  joined  the  army  and 
repaired  to  the  seat  of  war.*  These  young  volunteers  desire  to  cel- 
ebrate the  anniversary  of  their  enrolment,  and  the  emperor,  I  be- 
lieve, has  given  them  permission  to  do  so. " 

"  I  have  to  beg  your  excellency  to  prevail  on  the  emperor  to  with- 
draw this  permission. " 

"  A  strange  request !  and  why  ?" 

"Because  this  festival  is  a  demonstration  against  France,  for 
those  warlike  preparations  last  year  were  directed  against  France, 
while  Austria  has  now  made  peace  with  our  republic.  It  is  easy  to 
comprehend  that  France  will  not  like  this  festival  of  the  volunteers. " 

"My  dear  general,"  said  Thugut,  with  a  sarcastic  smile,  "does 
France  believe,  then,  that  Austria  liked  all  those  festivals  celebrated 
by  the  French  Republic  during  the  last  ten  years?  The  festivals  of 
the  republican  weddings,  for  instance,  or  the  festival  of  the  Goddess 
of  Reason,  or  the  anniversaries  of  bloody  executions?  Or  more 
recently  the  celebrations  of  victories,  by  some  of  which  Austria  has 
lost  large  tracts  of  territory?  I  confess  to  you  that  Austria  would 
have  greatly  liked  to  see  some  of  those  festivals  suppressed,  but 
France  had  not  asked  our  advice,  and  it  would  have  been  arrogant 
and  ridiculous  for  us  to  give  it  without  being  asked  for  it,  and  thus 
to  meddle  with  the  domestic  affairs  of  your  country.  Hence  we 
*  "  M6moires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  493. 


180  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

silently  tolerated  your  festivals,  and  pray  you  to  grant  us  the  same 
toleration. " 

"  The  French  Republic  will  not  and  must  not  suffer  what  is  con- 
trary to  her  interests,"  replied  Bernadotte,  vehemently.  "This 
festival  insults  us,  and  I  must  therefore  pray  your  excellency  to 
prohibit  it. " 

A  slight  blush  mantled  the  cold,  hard  features  of  Baron  Thugut, 
but  he  quickly  suppressed  his  anger,  and  seemed  again  quite  care- 
less and  unruffled. 

"You  pray  for  a  thing,  general,  which  it  is  no  longer  in  our 
power  to  grant, "  he  said,  calmly.  "  The  emperor  has  granted  per- 
mission for  this  festival,  and  how  could  we  refuse  the  young  men  of 
the  capital  a  satisfaction  so  eagerly  sought  by  them  and,  besides,  so 
well  calculated  to  nourish  and  promote  the  love  of  the  people  for 
their  sovereign  and  for  their  country?  Permit  us,  like  you,  to  cele- 
brate our  patriotic  festivals. " 

"  I  must  repeat  my  demand  that  this  festival  be  prohibited  !"  said 
Bernadotte,  emphatically. 

"  Your  demand  ?"  asked  Thugut,  with  cutting  coldness ;  "  I  do 
not  believe  that  anybody  but  the  emperor  and  the  government  has 
the  right  in  Austria  to  make  demands,  and  I  regret  that  I  am  unable 
to  grant  your  prayer. n 

"  Your  excellency  then  will  really  permit  this  festival  of  the  vol- 
unteers to  be  celebrated  to-morrow?" 

"  Most  assuredly.  His  majesty  has  given  the  necessary  permis- 
sion. " 

"  Well,  I  beg  to  inform  you  that,  in  case  the  festival  takes  place 
to-morrow,  I  shall  give  a  festival  on  my  part  to-morrow,  too. " 

"  Every  one  in  Austria  is  at  liberty  to  give  festivals,  provided 
they  are  not  contrary  to  decency,  public  morals,  and  good  order. " 

"  Your  excellency  assumes  an  insulting  tone  !"  exclaimed  Becna- 
dotte,  in  an  excited  voice. 

"  By  no  means, "  said  Thugut,  quietly.  "  My  words  would  only 
be  insulting  if  I  wanted  to  prevent  you  from  giving  your  festival. 
I  tell  you,  however,  you  are  welcome  to  give  it.  Let  your  festival 
compete  with  ours.  We  shall  see  who  will  be  victorious  in  this 
competition. " 

"So  you  really  want  to  permit  this  festival  of  the  volunteers 
although  I  tell  you  that  France  disapproves  of  it?" 

"Disapproves  of  it?  Then  France  wants  to  play  the  lord  and 
master  in  those  countries,  too,  which  the  republican  armies  have 
not  conquered  ?  Permit  me  to  tell  you  that  Austria  does  not  want 
to  belong  to  those  countries.  The  festival  of  the  volunteers  will 
take  place  to-morrow  1" 


THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  VOLUNTEERS.  181 

"Well,  my  festival  will  take  place  to-morrow,  too !" 

"Then  you  doubtless  have  good  reasons,  like  us,  for  giving  a 
festival?" 

"Of  course  I  have.  I  shall  display  to-morrow  for  the  first  time 
at  the  hotel  of  the  embassy  the  banner  of  the  French  Republic,  the 
tri-color  of  France,  and  that  event,  I  believe,  deserves  being  cele- 
brated in  a  becoming  manner. " 

"You  want  to  publicly  display  the  French  banner?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  will  be  displayed  on  my  balcony  and  proudly  float 
in  the  air,  as  the  tri-color  of  France  is  accustomed  to  do  everywhere. " 

"  I  do  not  know,  however,  whether  or  not  the  Austrian  air  will 
accustom  itself  to  the  tri-color  of  France,  and  I  pray  you  kindly  to 
consider,  general,  that  the  enterprise  you  are  going  to  undertake  is 
something  extraordinary  and  altogether  unheard  of.  No  ambassa- 
dor of  any  foreign  power  has  ever  displayed  any  mark  of  distinction 
on  his  house,  and  never  has  a  French  minister  yet  decorated  his 
hotel  in  such  a  manner  as  you  now  propose  to  do.  That  banner  of 
yours  would  therefore  be  without  any  precedent  in  the  history  of 
diplomatic  representation. " 

"  And  so  would  the  festival  you  are  going  to  give  before  the  eyes 
of  the  French  embassy,  and  notwithstanding  my  earnest  protest. " 

"Let  the  French  embassy  close  their  eyes  if  they  do  not  want  to 
see  our  Austrian  festivals.  How  often  had  we  to  do  so  in  France 
and  pretend  not  to  see  what  was  highly  insulting  to  us !" 

"  For  the  last  time,  then,  you  are  going  to  celebrate  the  festival  of 
the  volunteers  to-morrow,  notwithstanding  the  protest  of  France?" 

"I  do  not  think  that. France  ought  to  protest  against  matters  that 
do  not  concern  her.  You  prayed  me  to  prohibit  the  celebration,  and 
I  was  unable  to  grant  your  prayer  ;  that  is  all. " 

"Very  well,  your  excellency,  you  may  celebrate  your  festival — 
I  shall  celebrate  the  inauguration  of  my  banner  !  And  now  I  have 
the  honor  to  bid  your  excellency  tarewell !" 

"  I  hope  the  inauguration  will  be  a  pleasant  affair,  general.  I 
take  the  liberty  once  more  to  tell  you  that  your  banner  will  create  a 
great  sensation.  The  people  of  Vienna  are  stubborn,  and  I  cannot 
warrant  that  they  will  get  accustomed  to  see  another  banner  but  the 
one  containing  the  Austrian  colors  displayed  in  the  streets  of  Vienna. 
Farewell !" 

He  accompanied  the  general  to  the  door,  and  replied  to  his  cere- 
monious obeisance  by  a  proud,  careless  nod. 

He  then  hastily  crossed  the  reception-room  and  entered  again  the 
adjoining  apartment,  where  the  police  minister  was  awaiting  him. 

"  Did  you  hear  it  ?"  asked  Thugut,  whose  features  were  express- 
ing now  the  whole  anger  and  rage  he  had  concealed  so  long. 


182  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  I  have  heard  every  thing, "  said  Count  Saurau.  "  The  impu- 
dence of  France  knows  no  bounds. " 

"  But  we  shall  set  bounds  to  it !"  exclaimed  Thugut,  with  unusual 
vehemence.  "We  will  show  to  this  impudent  republic  that  we 
neither  love  nor  fear  her. " 

"The  festival,  then,  is  really  to  take  place  to-morrow?" 

"Can  you  doubt  it?  It  would  be  incompatible  with  Austria's 
honor  to  yield  now.  The  youth  of  Vienna  shall  have  their  patriotic 
festival,  and — let  the  police  to-morrow  be  somewhat  more  indulgent 
than  usual.  Youth  sometimes  needs  a  little  license.  Let  the  young 
folks  enjoy  the  utmost  liberty  all  day  to-morrow  !  No  supervision 
to-morrow,  no  restraints !  Let  the  young  people  sing  their  patriotic 
hymns.  He  who  does  not  want  to  hear  them  may  close  his  ears. 
Pray  let  us  grant  to  the  good  people  of  Vienna, to- morrow  a  day  of 
entire  liberty. " 

"But  if  quarrels  and  riots  should  ensue?" 

"  My  dear  count,  you  know  very  well  that  no  quarrels  take  place 
if  our  police  do  not  interfere  ;  the  people  love  each  other  and  agree 
perfectly  well  if  we  leave  them  alone  and  without  any  supervision. 
They  will  be  to-morrow  too  full  of  patriotism  not  to  be  joyful  and 
harmonious.  Once  more,  therefore,  no  supervision,  no  restraints ! 
Let  the  police  belong  to  the  people  ;  let  all  your  employes  and  agents 
put  on  civilian's  clothes  and  mix  with  the  people,  not  to  watch  over 
them,  but  to  share  and  direct  their  patriotism. " 

"Ah,  to  direct  it!"  exclaimed  Count  Saurau,  with  the  air  of  a 
man  who  just  commences  guessing  a  riddle.  "  But  suppose  this  pa- 
triotism in  its  triumphal  march  should  meet  with  a  stumbling-block 
or  rather  with  a  banner — ?" 

"  Then  let  it  quietly  go  ahead  ;  genuine  patriotism  is  strong  and 
courageous,  and  will  surmount  any  obstacle  standing  in  its  way. 
The  only  question  is  to  inspire  it  with  courage  and  constantly  to  fan 
its  enthusiasm.  That  will  be  the  only  task  of  the  police  to-morrow. " 

"  And  they  will  fulfil  that  task  with  the  utmost  cheerfulness.  I 
shall  to-morrow — " 

"  As  far  as  you  are  concerned, "  said  Thugut,  interrupting  him, 
"it  seems  to  me  you  will  be  unfortunately  prevented  from  partici- 
pating in  the  patriotic  festival  to-morrow.  You  look  exceedingly  pale 
and  exhausted,  my  dear  count,  and  if  I  may  take  the  liberty  of  giving 
you  a  friendly  advice,  please  go  to  bed  and  send  for  your  physician. " 

"You  are  right,  excellency, "  replied  Count  Saurau,  smiling,  "I 
really  feel  sick  and  exhausted.  It  will  be  best  for  me,  therefore,  to 
keep  my  bed  for  a  few  days,  and  my  well-meaning  physician  will 
doubtless  give  stringent  orders  not  to  admit  anybody  to  me  and  to 
permit  no  one  to  see  me  on  business. " 


THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  VOLUNTEERS.  183 

"As  soon  as  your  physician  has  given  such  orders,"  said  Thugut, 
"  send  me  word  and  request  me  to  attend  temporarily  to  the  duties 
of  your  department  as  long  as  you  are  sick. " 

"In  half  an  hour  you  shall  receive  a  letter  to  that  effect.  I  go  in 
order  to  send  for  a  physician. " 

"One  word  more,  my  dear  count.  What  has  become  of  that 
demagogue,  the  traitor  Wenzel,  who  headed  the  riot  last  year?  I 
then  recommended  him  to  your  special  care. " 

"  And  I  let  him  have  it,  your  excellency.  I  believe  he  has  entirely 
lost  his  fancy  for  insurrectionary  movements  ;  and  politics,  I  trust, 
are  very  indifferent  to  him. " 

"  I  should  regret  if  it  were  so, "  said  Thugut,  smiling.  "  I  suppose 
you  have  got  him  here  in  Vienna?" 

"  Of  course ;  he  occupies  a  splendid  half -dark  dungeon  in  our 
penitentiary. " 

"Picking  oakum?" 

"  No  ;  I  hear  he  has  often  asked  for  it  as  a  favor.  But  I  had  given 
stringent  orders  to  leave  him  all  alone  and  without  any  occupation 
whatever.  That  is  the  best  way  to  silence  and  punish  such  political 
criminals  and  demagogues. " 

"  I  would  like  to  see  this  man  Wenzel.  We  shall,  perhaps,  set 
him  at  liberty  again, "  said  Thugut.  "  Will  you  order  him  to  be 
brought  here  quietly,  and  without  any  unnecessary  eclat?" 

"I  shall  send  him  to  you,  and  that  shall  be  my  last  official  busi- 
ness before  being  taken  sick. " 

"  Be  it  so,  my  dear  count.     Go  to  bed  at  once  ;  it  is  high  time. " 

They  smilingly  shook  hands,  and  looked  at  each  other  long  and 
significantly. 

"It  will  be  a  splendid  patriotic  festival  to-morrow, "  said  Thugut. 

"  A  very  patriotic  festival,  and  the  inauguration  of  the  banner 
particularly  will  be  a  glorious  affair !"  exclaimed  Count  Saurau. 
"  What  a  pity  that  my  sickness  should  prevent  me  from  attending  it !" 

He  saluted  the  prime  minister  once  more  and  withdrew.  When 
the  door  had  closed  behind  him  the  smile  disappeared  from  Thugut' s 
features,  and  a  gloomy  cloud  settled  on  his  brow.  Folding  his  arms 
on  his  back,  and  absorbed  in  deep  thought,  he  commenced  slowly 
pacing  the  room.  "The  interview  with  the  empress  must  be  pre- 
vented at  all  events,"  he  muttered,  after  a  long  pause,  "even  if  all 
diplomatic  relations  with  France  have  to  be  broken  off  for  that  pur- 
pose. Besides,  I  must  have  those  papers  which  he  wanted  to  deliver 
to  the  empress ;  my  repose,  my  safety  depends  upon  it.  Oh,  I  know 
very  well  what  sort  of  papers  they  are  with  which  they  are  threaten- 
ing me.  They  are  the  letters  I  had  written  in  cipher  to  Burton,  the 
English  emissary,  whom  the  French  Directory  a  month  ago  caused 


184  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

to  be  arrested  as  a  spy  and  demagogue  at  Paris,  and  whose  papers 
were  seized  at  the  same  time.  Those  letters,  of  course,  would  en- 
danger my  position,  for  there  is  a  receipt  among  them  for  a  hundred 
thousand  guineas  paid  to  me.  What  a  fool  I  was  to  write  that 
receipt !  I  must  get  it  again,  and  I  am  determined  to  have  it !" 

A  few  hours  later,  an  emaciated,  pale  man  was  conducted  into 
the  room  of  Prime  Minister  Baron  Thugut.  The  minister  received 
him  with  a  friendly  nod,  and  looked  with  a  smiling  countenance  at 
this  sick,  downcast,  and  suffering  man,  whom  he  had  seen  only  a 
year  ago  so  bold  and  courageous  at  the  head  of  the  misguided 
rioters. 

"You  have  greatly  changed,  Mr.  "Wenzel, "  he  said,  kindly. 
"The  prison  air  seems  not  to  agree  with  you. " 

Wenzel  made  no  reply,  but  dropped  his  head  with  a  profound 
sigh  on  his  breast. 

"Ah,  ah,  Mr.  Wenzel,"  said  Thugut,  smiling,  "it  seems  your 
eloquence  is  gone,  too. " 

"  I  have  formerly  spoken  too  much ;  hence  I  am  now  so  taciturn, " 
muttered  the  pale  man. 

"  Every  thing  has  its  time,  speaking  as  well  as  silence, "  said 
Thugut.  "  It  is  true  speaking  has  rendered  you  very  wretched  ;  it 
has  made  you  guilty  of  high  treason.  Do  you  know  how  long  you 
will  have  to  remain  in  prison?" 

"  I  believe  for  fifteen  years, "  said  Wenzel,  with  a  shudder. 

"  Fifteen  years  !  that  is  half  a  lifetime.  But  it  does  not  change 
such  demagogues  and  politicians  as  you,  sir.  As  soon  as  you  are 
released  you  recommence  your  seditious  work,  and  you  try  to  make 
a  martyr's  crown  of  your  well-merited  punishment.  Traitors  like 
you  are  always  incorrigible,  and  unless  they  are  gagged  for  life  they 
always  cry  out  anew  and  stir  up  insurrection  and  disorder. " 

Wenzel  fixed  his  haggard  eyes  with  a  sorrowful  expression  upon 
the  minister. 

"  I  shall  never  stir  up  insurrections  again,  nor  raise  my  voice  in 
public  as  I  used  to  do,"  he  said,  gloomily.  "I  have  been  cured  of 
it  forever,  but  it  was  a  most  sorrowful  cure. " 

"  And  it  will  last  a  good  while  yet,  Mr.  Wenzel. " 

"  Yes,  it  will  last  dreadfully  long, "  sighed  the  wretched  man. 

"  Are  you  married?    Have  you  got  any  children?" 

"Yes,  I  have  a  wife  and  two  little  girls — two  little  angels.  Ah, 
if  I  could  only  see  them  once  more  in  my  life  !" 

"  Wait  yet  for  fourteen  years  ;  you  can  see  them  then  if  they  be 
still  alive,  and  care  about  having  you  back. " 

"  I  shall  not  live  fourteen  years, "  murmured  the  pale,  downcast 
man. 


THE  FESTIVAL  OF  THE  VOLUNTEERS.  185 

"  Well,  listen  to  me,  Mr.  Wenzel.  What  would  you  do  if  I  should 
set  you  at  liberty?" 

"At  liberty?"  asked  the  man,  almost  in  terror.  "At  liberty  !"  he 
shouted  then,  loudly  and  jubilantly. 

"Yes,  sir,  at  liberty!  But  you  must  do  something  in  order  to 
deserve  it.  Will  you  do  so  ?" 

"  I  will  do  every  thing,  every  thing  I  am  ordered  to  do,  if  I  am  to 
be  set  at  liberty,  if  I  am  allowed  to  see  my  wife  and  my  little  girls 
again  !"  shouted  Wenzel,  trembling  with  delight. 

"  Suppose  I  should  order  you  again  to  become  a  popular  orator 
and  to  stir  up  a  nice  little  riot?" 

The  gleam  of  joy  disappeared  again  from  Wenzel' s  eyes,  and  he 
looked  almost  reproachfully  at  the  minister.  "  You  want  to  mock 
me,"  he  said,  mournfully. 

"No,  my  man,  I  am  in  good  earnest.  You  shall  be  a  popular 
orator  and  leader  all  day  to-morrow.  Are  you  ready  for  it?" 

"  No,  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  such  matters  now.  I  am  a  good 
and  obedient  subject,  and  only  ask  to  be  allowed  to  live  peaceably 
and  quietly. " 

Thugut  burst  into  a  loud  laugh.  "  Ah,  you  take  me  for  a  tempt- 
er, Mr.  Wenzel, "  he  said  ;  "  but  I  am  in  earnest ;  and  if  you  will 
get  up  for  me  a  splendid  riot  to-morrow,  I  will  set  you  at  liberty  and 
no  one  shall  interfere  with  you  as  long  as  you  render  yourself  worthy 
of  my  indulgence  by  obedience  and  an  exemplary  life.  Tell  me, 
theref ore,  do  you  want  to  be  released  and  serve  me  ?" 

Wenzel  looked  inquiringly  and  with  intense  suspense  at  the  cold, 
hard  features  of  the  minister,  and  then,  when  he  had  satisfied  him- 
self that  he  had  really  been  in  earnest,  he  rushed  forward  and  kneel- 
ing down  before  Thugut,  he  shouted,  "  I  will  serve  you  like  a  slave, 
like  a  dog  !  only  set  me  at  liberty,  only  give  me  back  to  my  children 
and  my — " 

A  flood  of  tears  burst  from  his  eyes  and  choked  his  voice. 

"  All  right,  sir,  I  believe  you, "  said  Thugut,  gravely.  "  Now  rise 
and  listen  to  what  I  have  to  say  to  you.  You  will  be  released  to- 
night. Then  go  and  see  your  old  friends  and  tell  them  you  had 
made  a  journey,  and  the  French  had  arrested  you  on  the  road  and 
kept  you  imprisoned  until  you  were  released  in  consequence  of  the 
measures  the  Austrian  government  had  taken  in  your  favor.  If  you 
dare  to  utter  a  single  word  about  your  imprisonment  here,  you  are 
lost,  for  I  hear  and  learn  every  thing,  and  have  my  spies  everywhere, 
\  whom  I  shall  instruct  to  watch  you  closely. " 

"  I  shall  assuredly  do  whatever  you  want, "  exclaimed  Wenzel, 
trembling. 

"  You  shall  complain  to  your  friends  about  the  harsh  and  cruel 


186  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

treatment  you  had  to  suffer  at  the  hands  of  the  French.1    You  shall 
speak  as  a  good  patriot  ought  to  speak. " 

"Yes,  I  shall  speak  like  a  good  patriot,"  said  Wenzel,  ardently. 

"  To-morrow  you  will  be  with  all  your  friends  on  the  street  in 
order  to  attend  the  festival  of  the  volunteers,  and  to  look  at  the  pro- 
cession. Do  you  know  where  the  French  ambassador  lives?" 

"Yes,  on  the  Kohlmarkt." 

"  You  shall  do  your  best  to  draw  the  people  thither.  The  French 
ambassador  will  display  the  banner  of  the  French  Republic  on  his 
balcony  to-morrow.  Can  the  people  of  Vienna  tolerate  that?" 

"  No,  the  people  of  Vienna  cannot  tolerate  that  1"  shouted  Wenzel. 

"  You  will  repeat  that  to  every  one — you  will  exasperate  the  peo- 
ple against  the  banner  and  against  the  ambassador — you  and  the  crowd 
will  demand  loudly  and  impetuously  that  the  banner  be  removed." 

"But  suppose  the  ambassador  should  refuse  to  remove  it?" 

"  Then  you  will  forcibly  enter  the  house  and  remove  the  banner 
yourselves. " 

"But  if  they  shut  the  doors?" 

"  Then  you  will  break  them  open,  just  as  you  did  here  a  year  ago. 
And  besides,  are  there  no  windows — are  there  no  stones,  by  means 
of  which  you  may  open  the  windows  so  nicely?" 

"You  give  us  permission  to  do  all  that?" 

"I  order  you  to  do  all  that.  Now  listen  to  your  special  commis- 
sion. A  few  of  my  agents  will  always  accompany  you.  As  soon  as 
you  are  in  the  ambassador's  house,  repair  at  once  to  his  excellency's 
study.  Pick  up  all  the  papers  you  will  find  there,  and  bring  them 
to  me.  As  soon  as  I  see  you  enter  my  room  with  these  papers,  you 
will  be  free  forever  !" 

"  I  shall  bring  you  the  papers, "  exclaimed  Wenzel,  with  a  radiant 
face. 

"  But  listen.  Betray  to  a  living  soul  but  one  single  word  of  what 
I  have  said  to  you,  and  not  only  yourself,  but  your  wife  and  your 
children  will  also  be  lost !  My  arm  is  strong  enough  to  catch  all  of 
you,  and  my  ear  is  large  enough  to  hear  every  thing. " 

"  I  shall  be  as  silent  as  the  grave, "  protested  Wenzel,  eagerly.  "  I 
shall  only  raise  my  voice  in  order  to  speak  to  the  people  about  our 
beloved  and  wise  Minister  Thugut,  and  about  the  miserable,  over- 
bearing French,  who  dare  to  hang  out  publicly  the  banner  of  their 
bloody  republic  here  in  our  imperial  city,  in  our  magnificent 
Vienna !" 

"  That  is  the  right  talk,  my  man !  Now  go  and  reflect  about  every 
thing  I  have  told  you,  and  to-morrow  morning  call  on  me  again  ;  I 
shall  then  give  you  further  instructions.  Now  go — go  to  your  wife, 
and  keep  the  whole  matter  secret. " 


THE  RIOT.  187 

"Hurrah  f  long  live  our  noble  prime  minister  !"  shouted  Wenzel, 
jubilantly.  "  Hurrah,  hurrah,  I  am  free !"  And  he  reeled  away 
like  a  drunken  man. 

Thugut  looked  after  him  with  a  smile  of  profound  contempt. 
"  That  is  the  best  way  to  educate  the  people, "  he  said.  "  Truly,  if 
we  could  only  send  every  Austrian  for  one  year  to  the  penitentiary, 
we  would  have  none  but  good  and  obedient  subjects !" 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE    RIOT. 

THE  streets  of  Vienna  were  densely  crowded  on  the  following 
day.  Every  house  was  beautifully  decorated  with  fresh  verdure 
and  festoons  of  flowers ;  business  was  entirely  suspended,  and  the 
people  in  their  holiday  dresses  were  moving  through  the  streets, 
jubilant,  singing  patriotic  hymns,  and  waiting  in  joyous  impatience 
for  the  moment  when  the  procession  of  the  volunteers  would  leave 
the  city  hall  in  order  to  repair  to  the  Burg,  where  they  were  to  cheer 
the  emperor.  Then  they  would  march  through  the  city,  and  finally 
conclude  the  festival  with  a  banquet  and  ball,  to  be  held  in  a  public 
hall  that  had  been  handsomely  decorated  for  the  occasion. 

Not  only  the  people,  however,  but  also  the  educated  and  aristo- 
cratic classes  of  Vienna  wanted  to  participate  in  the  patriotic  festi- 
val. In  the  open  windows  there  were  seen  high-born  ladies,  beauti- 
fully dressed,  and  holding  splendid  bouquets  in  their  hands,  which 
were  to  be  showered  down  upon  the  procession  of  the  volunteers ;  an 
endless  number  of  the  most  splendid  carriages,  surrounded  by  dense 
crowds  of  pedestrians,  were  slowly  moving  through  the  streets,  and 
in  these  carriages  there  were  seated  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the 
aristocracy  and  of  the  wealthiest  financial  circles ;  they  witnessed 
the  popular  enthusiasm  with  smiles  of  satisfaction  and  delight. 

Only  the  carriages  of  the  ministers  were  missing  in  this  gorgeous 
procession,  and  it  was  reported  everywhere  that  two  of  these  gentle- 
men, Prime  Minister  Baron  von  Thugut  and  Police  Minister  Count 
Saurau,  had  been  taken  sick,  and  were  confined  to  their  beds,  while 
the  other  ministers  were  with  the  emperor  at  Laxenburg. 

Baron  Thugut's  prediction  had  been  verified,  therefore  ;  the  po- 
lice minister  had  really  been  taken  so  sick  that  he  had  to  keep  his 
bed,  and  that  he  had  requested  Baron  Thugut  by  letter  to  take 
charge  of  his  department  for  a  few  days. 

But  the  prime  minister  himself  had  suddenly  become  quite  un- 
well, and  was  unable  to  leave  his  room  !  Hence  he  had  not  accom- 
MUHLBACH — I  VOL.  7 


188  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

panied  the  other  ministers  to  Laxenburg  in  order  to  dine  at  the 
emperor's  table.  Nay — an  unheard-of  occurrence — he  had  taken  his 
meals  all  alone  in  his  study.  His  footman  had  received  stringent 
orders  to  admit  no  one,  and  to  reply  to  every  applicant  for  an  inter- 
view with  him,  "  His  excellency  was  confined  to  his  bed  by  a  raging 
fever,  and  all  business  matters  had  to  be  deferred  until  to-morrow. " 

The  minister's  condition,  however,  was  not  near  as  bad  as  that. 
It  was  true  he  had  the  fever,  but  it  was  merely  the  fever  of  expecta- 
tion, impatience,  and  long  suspense.  The  whole  day  had  passed, 
and  not  a  single  dissonance  had  disturbed  the  pure  joy  of  the  cele- 
bration ;  not  a  single  violent  scene  had  interrupted  the  patriotic 
jubilee.  The  crowds  on  the  streets  and  public  places  constantly  in- 
creased in  numbers,  but  peace  and  hilarity  reigned  everywhere,  and 
the  people  were  singing  and  laughing  eveiywhere. 

This  was  the  reason  why  the  minister's  blood  was  so  feverish, 
why  he  could  find  no  rest,  and  why  his  cold  heart  for  once  pulsated 
so  rapidly.  He  was  pacing  his  study  with  long  steps,  murmuring 
now  and  then  some  incoherent  words,  and  then  uneasily  stepping  to 
the  window  in  order  to  survey  the  street  cautiously  from  behind  the 
curtain,  and  to  observe  the  surging  crowd  below. 

Just  then  the  large  clock  on  the  marble  mantelpiece  commenced 
striking.  Thugut  hastily  turned  toward  it.  "Six  o'clock,  and 
nothing  yet,"  he  murmured.  "I  shall  put  that  fellow  Wenzel  into 
a  subterranean  dungeon  for  life,  and  dismiss  every  agent  of  mine,  if 
nothing — " 

He  paused  and  listened.  It  had  seemed  to  him  as  though  he  had 
heard  a  soft  rap  at  the  hidden  door  leading  to  the  secret  staircase. 
Yes,  it  was  no  mistake  ;  somebody  was  rapping  at  it,  and  seemed  to 
be  in  great  haste. 

"  At  last !"  exclaimed  Thugut,  drawing  a  deep  breath,  and  he 
approached  with  hurried  steps  the  large  painting,  covering  the 
whole  wall  and  reaching  down  to  the  floor.  He  quickly  touched 
one  of  the  artificial  roses  on  the  gilt  frame.  The  painting  turned 
round,  and  the  door  became  visible  behind  it  in  the  wall. 

The  rapping  was  now  plainly  heard.  Thugut  pushed  the  bolt 
back  and  unlocked  the  door.  His  confidential  secretary,  Hiibschle, 
immediately  rushed  in  with  a  glowing  face  and  in  breathless  haste. 

"Your  excellency,"  he  gasped — "your  excellency,  the  fun  has 
just  commenced !  They  are  now  pursuing  the  deer  like  a  pack  of 
infuriated  blood-hounds.  Oh,  oh  !  they  will  chase  him  thoroughly, 
I  should  think !" 

Thugut  cast  a  glance  of  gloomy  indignation  on  the  versatile  little 
man  with  the  bloated  face.  "You  have  been  drinking  again, 
Hiibschle, "  he  said ;  "  and  I  have  ordered  you  to  remain  sober  to-day  1" 


THE  RIOT.  189 

"Your  excellency,  I  am  quite  sober,"  protested  Hiibschle.  "I 
assure  you  I  have  not  drunk  any  more  than  what  was  required  by 
my  thirst. " 

"Ah,  yes;  your  thirst  always  requires  large  quantities,"  ex- 
claimed Thugut,  laughing.  "But  speak  now  rapidly,  briefly,  and 
plainly.  No  circumlocution,  no  tirades  !  Tell  me  the  naked  truth. 
What  fun  has  just  commenced?" 

"  The  inauguration  of  the  banner,  your  excellency. " 

"Then  Bernadotte  has  hung  out  his  banner,  after  all?" 

"  Yes,  he  has  done  so.  We  were  just  going  down  the  street — 
quite  a  jolly  crowd  it  was,  by  the  by.  Master  Wenzel,  a  splendid 
fellow,  had  just  loudly  intoned  the  hymn  of  '  God  save  the  Emperor 
Francis, '  and  all  the  thousands  and  thousands  of  voices  were  joining 
the  choir,  as  if  they  intended  to  serenade  the  French  ambassador, 
when,  suddenly,  a  balcony  door  opened,  and  General  Bernadotte,  in 
full  uniform  came  out.  He  was  attended  by  his  whole  suite ;  and 
several  footmen  brought  out  an  immense  banner,  which  they  at- 
tached to  the  balcony.  We  had  paused  right  in  the  middle  of  our 
beautiful  hymn,  and  the  people  were  looking  up  to  the  balcony, 
from  which  the  gentlemen  had  disappeared  again,  with  glances  full 
of  surprise  and  curiosity.  But  the  banner  remained  there !  Sud- 
denly a  violent  gust  touched  the  banner,  which,  up  to  this  time, 
had  loosely  hung  down,  and  unfolded  it  entirely.  Now  we  saw 
the  French  tri- color  proudly  floating  over  our  German  heads, 
and  on  it  we  read,  in  large  letters  of  gold — Liberte!  Egalite! 
Fraternite  I "  * 

"  What  impudence  !"  muttered  Thugut. 

"You  are  right,  that  was  the  word,"  exclaimed  Hubschle. 
"'What  impudence  1*  roared  Master  Wenzel ;  and  the  whole  crowd 
immediately  repeated,  'What  impudence!  Down  with  the  foreign 
banner !  We  are  not  so  stupid  as  the  people  of  Milan,  Venice,  and 
Rome  ;  we  do  not  jubilantly  hail  the  French  color  ;  on  the  contrary, 
this  banner  makes  us  angry.  Down  with  it !  It  is  an  insult  offered 
to  the  emperor,  that  a  foreign  flag  with  such  an  abominable  inscrip- 
tion is  floating  here.  Down  with  the  banner  !'  " 

"Very  good,  very  good,  indeed,"  said  Thugut,  smiling.  "This 
man  Wenzel  is  really  a  practical  fellow.  Go  on,  sir. " 

"The  crowd  constantly  assumed  larger  proportions,  and  the 
shouts  of  'Down  with  the  banner!'  became  eveiy  moment  more 
impetuous  and  threatening.  Suddenly  a  small  detachment  of  sol- 
diers emerged  from  the  adjoining  street.  The  officer  in  command 
kindly  urged  the  people  to  disperse.  But  it  was  in  vain ;  the 
tumult  was  constantly  on  the  increase.  The  crowd  commenced 
*  "M6moires  (Tun  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  494. 


190  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

tearing  up  the  pavement  and  throwing  stones  at  the  windows  and 
at  the  banner. " 

"And  the  soldiers?" 

"They  quietly  stood  aside.  But — somebody  is  rapping  at  the 
opposite  door !  Shall  I  open  it,  your  excellency?" 

"  One  moment !  I  first  want  to  turn  back  the  painting.  So  1 
Now  open  the  door,  Hiibschle  !" 

The  private  secretary  hastened  with  tottering  steps  to  the  door 
and  unlocked  it.  Thugut's  second  private  secretary  entered.  He 
held  a  sealed  letter  in  his  band. 

"Well,  Heinle,  what's  the  matter?"  asked  Thugut,  quietly. 

"  Your  excellency,  the  French  ambassador,  General  Bernadotte, 
has  sent  this  letter  to  your  excellency." 

"And  what  did  you  reply  to  the  messenger?" 

"  That  your  excellency  had  a  raging  fever ;  that  the  doctor  had 
forbidden  us  to  disturb  you,  but  that  I  would  deliver  it  to  the  min- 
ister as  soon  as  he  felt  a  little  better. " 

"  That  was  right.  Now  go  back  to  your  post  and  guard  the  door 
well  in  order  that  no  one  may  penetrate  into  my  room.  And  you, 
Hiibschle,  hasten  back  to  the  Kohlmarkt  and  see  what  is  going  on 
there,  and  what  is  occurring  at  the  French  embassy.  But  do  not 
drink  any  more  liquor  !  As  soon  as  this  affair  is  over,  I  shall  give 
you  three  days'  leave  of  absence,  when  you  may  drink  as  much  as 
you  please.  Go,  now,  and  return  soon  to  tell  me  all  about  it. " 

"  And  now, "  said  Thugut,  when  he  was  alone,  "  I  will  see  what 
the  French  ambassador  has  written  to  me. " 

He  opened  the  letter,  and,  as  if  the  mere  perusal  with  the  eyes 
were  not  sufficient  for  him,  he  read  in  a  half-loud  voice  as  follows  : 
"  The  ambassador  of  the  French  Republic  informs  Baron  Thugut  that 
at  the  moment  he  is  penning  these  lines,  a  fanatical  crowd  has  been 
so  impudent  as  to  commit  a  riot  in  front  of  his  dwelling.  The  mo- 
tives that  have  produced  this  violent  scene  cannot  be  doubtful,  in- 
asmuch as  several  stones  already  were  thrown  at  the  windows  of  the 
house  occupied  by  the  ambassador.  Profoundly  offended  at  so  much 
impudence,  he  requests  Baron  Thugut  immediately  to  order  an  in- 
vestigation, so  that  the  instigators  of  the  riot  may  be  punished,  and 
that  their  punishment  may  teach  the  others  a  much-needed  lesson. 
The  ambassador  of  the  French  Republic  has  no  doubt  that  his  recla- 
mations will  meet  with  the  attention  which  they  ought  to  excite, 
and  that  the  police,  moreover,  will  be  vigilant  enough  to  prevent 
similar  scenes,  which  could  not  be  renewed  without  producing  the 
most  serious  consequences,  the  ambassador  being  firmly  determined 
to  repel  with  the  utmost  energy  even  the  slightest  insults,  and  ac- 
cordingly much  more  so,  such  scandalous  attacks.  Baron  Thugut  is 


THE  RIOT.  191 

further  informed  that  he  has  reason  to  complain  of  the  conduct  of 
several  agents  of  the  police.  Some  of  them  were  requested  to  dis- 
perse the  rioters,  but,  instead  of  fulfilling  the  ambassador's  orders, 
they  remained  cold  and  idle  spectators  of  the  revolting  scene. "  * 

tt  What  overbearing  and  insulting  language  this  fellow  dares  to 
use !"  exclaimed  Thugut,  when  he  had  finished  the  letter.  "  One 
might  almost  believe  he  was  our  lord  and  master  here,  and — ah, 
somebody  raps  again  at  the  door !  Perhaps  Hiibschle  is  back 
already . " 

He  quickly  touched  the  frame  of  the  painting  again,  and  the 
door  opened.  It  was  really  Hiibschle,  who  entered  as  hastily  as  be- 
fore. 

"  Your  excellency,  I  have  just  reascended  the  staircase  as  rapidly 
as  though  I  were  a  cat, "  he  gasped.  "  At  the  street  door  I  learned 
some  fresh  news  from  one  of  our  men,  and  I  returned  at  once  to  tell 
you  all  about  it. " 

"Quick,  you  idle  gossip,  no  unnecessary  preface  !" 

"Your  excellency,  things  are  assuming  formidable  proportions. 
The  riot  is  constantly  on  the  increase,  and  grows  every  minute  more 
threatening.  Count  Dietrichstein,  and  Count  Fersen,  the  director 
of  the  police,  have  repaired  to  General  Bernadotte  and  implored  him 
to  remove  the  banner. " 

"The  soft-hearted  fools  !"  muttered  Thugut. 

"  But  their  prayers  were  fruitless.  They  preferred  them  repeat- 
edly, and  always  were  refused.  They  even  went  so  far  as  to  assure 
the  ambassador,  in  case  he  should  yield  to  their  request  and  give 
them  time  to  calm  the  people  and  induce  them  to  leave  the  place, 
that  the  Austrian  government  would  assuredly  give  him  whatever 
satisfaction  he  should  demand.  But  General  Bernadotte  persisted 
in  his  refusal — and  replied  peremptorily,  'No,  the  banner  remains !'  " 

"  Proceed,  proceed  I"  exclaimed  Thugut,  impatiently. 

"  That  is  all  I  know,  but  I  shall  hasten  to  collect  further  news, 
and  then  return  to  your  excellency. " 

Hiibschle  disappeared  through  the  secret  door,  and  Thugut  re- 
placed the  painting  before  it.  "  The  banner  remains  !"  he  exclaimed, 
laughing  scornfully.  "  We  will  see  how  long  it  will  remain  !  Ah, 
Heinle  is  rapping  again  at  the  other  door.  What  is  it,  Heinle  ?" 

"  Another  dispatch  from  the  French  ambassador, "  said  Heinle, 
merely  pushing  his  arm  with  the  letter  through  the  door. 

"  And  you  have  made  the  same  reply  ?" 

"The  same  reply." 

"  Good  !    Return  to  your  post. " 

The  arm  disappeared  again.     Thugut  opened  the  second  dispatch, 
*  "M6moires  cTun  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  495. 


192  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

and  read  as  before  in  a  half -loud  voice :  "  The  ambassador  of  the 
French  Republic  informs  Baron  Thugut  that  the  fury  of  the  mob  is 
constantly  on  the  increase ;  already  all  the  window-panes  of  the 
dwelling  have  been  shattered  by  the  stones  the  rioters  are  incessantly 
throwing  at  them ;  he  informs  you  that  the  crowd  at  the  present 
moment  numbers  no  less  than  three  or  four  thousand  men,  and  that 
the  soldiers  whose  assistance  was  invoked,  so  far  from  protecting 
the  house  of  the  French  embassy,  remain  impassive  spectators  of 
the  doings  and  fury  of  the  rabble,  their  inactivity  encouraging  the 
latter  instead  of  deterring  them.  The  ambassador  cannot  but  be- 
lieve that  this  scandalous  scene  is  not  merely  tolerated,  but  fostered 
by  the  authorities,  for  nothing  whatever  is  done  to  put  a  stop  to  it. 
He  sees  with  as  much  regret  as  pain  that  the  dignity  of  the  French 
people  is  being  violated  by  the  insults  heaped  on  the  ambassador, 
who  vainly  implored  the  populace  to  disperse  and  go  home.  At  the 
moment  the  ambassador  is  writing  these  lines,  the  rage  of  the  crowd 
is  strained  to  such  a  pitch  that  the  doors  have  been  broken  open  by 
means  of  stones,  while  the  soldiers  were  quietly  looking  on.  The 
furious  rabble  tore  the  French  colors  from  the  balcony  with  hooks 
and  long  poles.  The  ambassador,  who  cannot  remain  any  longer  in 
a  country  where  the  most  sacred  laws  are  disregarded  and  solemn 
treaties  trampled  under  foot,  therefore  asks  Baron  Thugut  to  send 
him  his  passports  in  order  that  he  may  repair  to  France  with  all  the 
attaches  of  the  embassy,  unless  Baron  Thugut  should  announce  at 
once  that  the  Austrian  government  has  taken  no  part  whatever  in 
the  insults  heaped  upon  the  French  Republic;  that  it  disavows 
them,  on  the  contrary,  in  the  most  formal  manner,  and  that  it  orders 
the  ringleaders  and  their  accomplices  to  be  arrested  and  punished 
in  the  most  summary  manner.  On  this  condition  alone,  and  if  the 
Austrian  government  agrees  to  restore  the  French  banner  and  to 
cause  it  to  be  displayed  on  the  balcony  of  the  French  embassy  by  a 
staff-officer,  the  ambassador  consents  to  remain  in  Vienna.  Let 
Baron  Thugut  remember  that  these  are  precious  moments,  and  that 
he  owes  the  ambassador  an  immediate  and  categorical  reply  to  his 
inquiries. "  * 

"Well,  I  believe  the  good  people  of  Vienna  will  take  it  upon 
themselves  to  make  a  categorical  reply  to  General  Bernadotte,  and 
to  silence  the  overbearing  babbler,  no  matter  how  it  is  done, "  ex- 
claimed Thugut,  laughing  scornfully.  "I  am  really  anxious  to 
know  how  this  affair  is  going  to  end,  and  how  my  brave  rioters  will 
chastise  the  ambassador  for  his  insolence.  What,  another  rap  al- 
ready? Why,  you  are  a  genuine  postilion  d' amour!  Do  you  bring 
me  another  letter?" 

*  "Mfimoires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  v.,  p.  501. 


THE  RIOT.  193 

"  A  third  dispatch  from  General  Bernadotte, "  exclaimed  Heinle, 
outside,  pushing  his  arm  with  the  dispatch  again  through  the  door. 

Thugut  took  it  and  rapidly  opened  it.  "It  seeins  matters  are 
growing  more  pressing,"  he  said,  smilingly.  "Let  us  read  it!" 
And  he  read  with  an  air  of  great  satisfaction : 

"  The  ambassador  of  the  French  Republic  informs  Baron  Thugut 
that  the  riotous  proceedings  have  lasted  five  hours  already  ;  that  no 
agent  of  the  police  has  come  to  his  assistance ;  that  the  furious 
rioters  have  taken  possession  of  a  portion  of  the  house  and  are  de- 
stroying every  thing  they  can  lay  their  hands  on. " 

"  Aha,  my  friend  Wenzel  is  looking  for  the  papers  in  the  rooms 
of  the  French  embassy !"  exclaimed  Thugut,  triumphantly.  He 
then  read  on. 

"  The  ambassador,  the  secretaries  of  legation,  the  French  citizens 
and  officers  who  are  with  him,  were  compelled  to  retire  to  a  room 
where  they  are  waiting  further  developments  with  the  undaunted 
courage  characteristic  of  the  republicans.  The  ambassador  repeats 
his  demand  that  the  necessaiy  passports  be  sent  for  him  and  for  all 
the  French  who  desire  to  accompany  him.  The  transmission  of 
these  passports  is  the  more  urgent,  as  the  rioters,  who  were  about  to 
-oaish  into  the  room  where  the  French  were  awaiting  them,  only 
shrank  back  when  some  servants  of  the  French  embassy  discharged 
the  fire-arms  with  which  they  had  been  provided." 

"  Ah,  a  regular  battle,  then,  has  taken  place !"  shouted  Thugut, 
in  great  glee.  "A  siege  in  grand  style!  Wonder  why  Hubschle 
has  not  come  back  yet?  But  stop  !  I  hear  him  already.  He  raps  ! 
I  am  coming,  sir  !  I  am  opening  the  door  already  !" 

And  Thugut  hastened  to  touch  the  frame  of  the  painting  and  to 
open  the  door. 

It  was  true,  Hubschle,  the  private  secretary,  was  there,  but  he 
did  not  come  alone.  Wenzel,  soiled  with  blood,  his  clothes  torn  and 
in  the  wildest  disorder,  entered  with  him,  supporting  himself  on 
Hubschle 's  arm. 

"  Ah,  you  bring  me  there  a  wounded  boar  1"  said  Thugut,  morosely. 

"A  boar  who  splendidly  goaded  on  the  hounds  and  performed  the 
most  astonishing  exploits,"  said  Hubschle,  enthusiastically.  "He 
received  a  gunshot  wound  in  the  right  arm  and  fainted.  I  carried 
him  with  the  assistance  of  a  few  friends  to  a  well,  and  we  poured 
water  on  him  until  he  recovered  his  senses  and  was  able  again  to 
participate  in  the  general  jubilee. " 

"Then  it  was  a  jubilee*    Mr.  Wenzel,  tell  me  all  about  it. " 

"It  was  a  very  fine  affair,"  said  Wenzel,  gasping.  "We  had 
penetrated  into  the  house  and  were  working  to  the  best  of  our  power 
in  the  magnificent  rooms.  The  furniture,  the  looking-glasses,  the 


194  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

chandeliers,  the  carriages  in  the  courtyard,  every  thing  was  de- 
stroyed, while  we  were  singing  and  shouting,  'Long  live  the  em- 
peror !  God  save  the  Emperor  Francis !'" 

"What  a  splendid  Marseillaise  that  dear,  kind-hearted  Haydn 
has  composed  for  us  in  that  hymn, "  said  Thugut,  in  a  low  voice, 
gleefully  rubbing  his  hands.  "And  the  banner?  What  has  become 
of  the  banner?" 

"The  banner  we  had  previously  torn  to  pieces,  and  with  the 
shreds  we  had  gone  to  the  Schottenplatz  and  publicly  burned  them 
there  amidst  the  jubilant  shouts  of  the  people. " 

"  Very  good.     And  what  else  was  done  in  the  embassy  building?" 

"  We  rushed  from  room  to  room.  Nothing  withstood  our  fury, 
and  finally  we  arrived  at  the  room  in  which  the  ambassador  and  his 
suite  had  barricaded  themselves  as  in  a  fortress.  It  was  the  ambas- 
sador's study,"  said  Wenzel,  slowly  and  significantly — "the  cabinet 
in  which  he  kept  his  papers. " 

Thugut  nodded  gently,  and  said  nothing  but  "Proceed  !" 

"  I  rushed  toward  the  door  and  encouraged  the  others  to  follow 
me.  We  succeeded  in  bursting  the  door  open.  At  the  same  mo- 
ment the  besieged  fired  at  us.  Three  of  us  dropped  wounded  ;  the 
others  ran  away. " 

"  Yes,  the  miserable  rascals  always  run  away  as  soon  as  they 
smell  gunpowder,"  said  Thugut,  indignantly.  "And  you,  Mr. 
Wenzel?" 

"  I  was  wounded  and  had  fainted.  My  comrades  carried  me  out 
of  the  house. " 

"And  the  papers?"  asked  Thugut.     "You  did  not  take  them?" 

"  Your  excellency,  General  Bernadotte  and  the  whole  retinue  of 
the  embassy  were  in  the  room  in  which  the  ambassador  keeps  his 
papers.  I  would  have  penetrated  into  it  with  my  friends  if  the 
bullet  had  not  shattered  my  arm  and  stretched  me  down  senseless. " 

"Yes,  indeed,  you  became  entirely  senseless,"  said  Thugut, 
harshly,  "  for  you  even  forgot  that  I  only  promised  to  release  you 
provided  you  should  bring  the  papers  of  the  French  ambassador. " 

"  Your  excellency, "  shouted  Wenzel,  in  dismay,  "  I — " 

"Silence!"  commanded  Thugut,  in  a  stern  tone;  "who  has 
allowed  you  to  speak  without  being  asked?" 

At  this  moment  another  hasty  rap  at  the  door  was  heard,  and 
Heinle's  arm  appeared  again  in  the  door. 

"Another  dispatch  from  the  French  ambassador?"  asked  Thugut. 

"  No,  your  excellency,  a  dispatch  from  his  majesty  the  emperor. " 

Thugut  hastily  seized  the  small  sealed  note  and  opened  it.  It 
contained  nothing  but  the  following  words  : 

"  The  ambassador  has  received  a  salutary  lesson,  and  his  banner 


THE  RIOT.  195 

has  been  destroyed.  Let  us  stop  the  riot  now,  and  avoid  extreme 
measures.  Several  regiments  must  be  called  out  to  restore  order. " 

The  minister  slowly  folded  the  paper  and  put  it  into  his  pocket. 
He  then  rang  the  bell  so  violently  and  loudly,  that  Heinle  and  the 
other  servants  rushed  immediately  into  the  room. 

"Open  every  door — call  every  footman!"  commanded  Thugut. 
"Admit  every  one  who  wants  to  see  me.  Two  mounted  messengers 
shall  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  forward  dispatches.  Every 
one  may  learn  that,  in  spite  of  my  sickness,  I  have  risen  from  my 
couch  in  order  to  reestablish  tranquillity  in  the  capital." 

He  stepped  to  his  desk  and  rapidly  wrote  a  few  words,  whereupon 
he  handed  the  paper  to  Germain,  his  valet  de  chambre. 

"Here,  Germain,  hasten  with  this  note  to  Count  Fersen,  the  di- 
rector of  police,  and  take  this  fellow  along.  Two  footmen  may 
accompany  you.  You  will  deliver  him  to  the  director  of  the  police 
and  tell  him  that  he  is  one  of  the  rioters  whom  my  agents  have 
arrested.  Request  the  director  to  have  him  placed  in  a  safe  pricon 
and  to  admit  none  to  him  but  the  officers  of  the  criminal  court.  He 
is  a  very  dangerous  criminal ;  this  is  the  second  time  that  he  has 
been  arrested  as  a  rioter.  Well,  what  is  the  matter  with  the  fellow? 
He  reels  like  a  drunken  man !  He  has  probably  drunk  too  much 
brandy  for  the  purpose  of  stimulating  his  courage. " 

"  Pardon  me,  your  excellency, "  said  Hubschle,  "  the  man  has 
fainted. " 

"  Then  carry  him  away,  and  take  him  in  a  carriage  to  the  direc- 
tor of  the  police, "  said  Thugut,  indifferently,  and  he  looked  on 
coldly  and  unfeelingly,  while  the  footman  hastily  seized  the  pale, 
unconscious  man  and  dragged  him  away. 

He  returned  to  his  desk  and  rapidly  wrote  a  few  words  on  a 
sheet  of  large,  gilt-edged  paper,  which  he  then  enclosed  in  an  en- 
velope, sealed,  and  directed. 

"A  dispatch  to  the  emperor!"  he  said,  handing  it  to  Heinle. 
"  Let  a  mounted  messenger  take  it  immediately  to  his  majesty. " 

This  dispatch  contained  the  reply  to  the  emperor's  laconic  note, 
and  it  was  almost  more  laconic  than  the  latter,  for  it  contained  only 
the  following  words : 

"Sire,  within  an  hour  order  will  be  reestablished. " 

"  Now,  Hubschle,  sit  down, "  said  Thugut,  all  the  others  having 
left  the  room  by  his  orders.  "  Collect  your  five  senses,  and  write 
what  I  am  going  to  dictate  to  you. " 

Hubschle  sat  already  at  the  desk,  and  waited,  pen  in  hand. 
Baron  Thugut,  folding  his  hands  behind  his  back,  slowly  paced  the 
room  and  dictated : 

"  The  minister  of  foreign  affairs  has  heard  with  regret  of  the 


196  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

riotous  proceedings  referred  to  in  the  notes  which  the  ambassador 
of  the  French  Republic  has  addressed  to  him  this  evening.  The 
minister  will  report  the  whole  affair  to  his  imperial  majesty,  and 
entertains  no  doubt  that  the  emperor  will  be  very  indignant  at  the 
occurrence.  The  ambassador  may  rest  assured  that  nothing  will  be 
left  undone  in  order  to  ferret  out  the  perpetrators  of  this  outrage, 
and  to  punish  them  with  the  whole  severity  of  the  laws,  and  with 
the  sincere  desire  which  the  Austrian  government  has  always  enter- 
tained to  maintain  the  friendship  so  happily  established  between 
the  two  countries. "  * 

"Well,  why  do  you  dare  to  laugh,  Hubschle?"  asked  Thugut, 
when  he  took  the  pen  in  order  to  sign  the  note. 

"Your  excellency,  I  am  laughing  at  the  many  fine  words  in 
which  this  dispatch  says  :  '  Mr.  Ambassador,  ask  for  your  passports  ; 
you  may  depart. '" 

Thugut  smiled.  "  When  you  are  drunk,  Hubschle,  you  are  ex- 
ceedingly shrewd,  and  for  that  reason,  I  pardon  your  impertinence. 
Your  rubicund  nose  has  scented  the  matter  correctly.  The  ambas- 
sador has  demanded  his  passports  already.  But  go  now.  Take  this 
dispatch  to  the  second  courier  and  tell  him  to  carry  it  immediately 
to  the  French  embassy.  As  for  yourself,  you  must  hasten  to  the 
commander  of  Vienna,  and  take  this  paper  to  him.  You  may  say 
to  him,  '  The  gates  are  to  be  closed  in  order  to  prevent  the  populace 
of  the  suburbs  from  reaching  the  city.  The  Preiss  regiment  shall 
occupy  the  house  of  the  ambassador  and  the  adjoining  streets,  and 
fire  at  whosoever  offers  resistance  or  wants  to  raise  a  disturbance. ' 
Vienna  must  be  perfectly  quiet  in  the  course  of  an  hour.  Begone  1" 

Hubschle  rushed  out,  and  Thugut  remained  alone.  He  slowly 
and  deliberately  sat  down  in  an  arm-chair,  and  pondered  serenely 
over  the  events  of  the  night. 

"  It  is  true  I  have  not  wholly  accomplished  my  purpose, "  he.  mut- 
tered, "  but  M.  Bernadotte  will  try  no  longer  to  injure  me.  He  shall 
have  his  passports  to-morrow  morning." 

*The  French  ambassador  really  left  Vienna  In  consequence  of  this  riot.  The 
emperor  vainly  tried  to  pacify  him.  Bernadotte  persisted  in  his  demands.  He 
wanted  the  Austrian  Government  to  restore  the  banner  and  to  have  it  displayed  on 
his  balcony  by  a  staff  officer.  In  reply  to  these  repeated  demands,  Thugut  sent  him 
his  passports,  and  the  legation  left  Vienna.—  Vide  Hauser,  "German  History,"  voL 
11.,  p.  180.  "Memoires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  r. 


LAST  DATS  OF  THE  EIGHTEENTH 
CENTUBY. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 
VICTORIA  DE  POUTET. 

NEARLY  a  year  had  elapsed  since  the  departure  of  the  French  am- 
bassador from  Vienna,  but  the  rupture  of  the  peace  with  France,  so 
ardently  desired  by  Minister  Thugut,  had  not  yet  taken  place.  A 
strong  party  in  the  emperor's  cabinet  had  declared  against  Thugut, 
and  this  time  obtained  a  victory  over  the  minister  who  had  been 
believed  to  be  all-powerful.  This  party  was  headed  by  the  empress 
and  Archduke  Charles.  Thugut,  therefore,  was  compelled  to  sup- 
press his  wrath,  and  defer  his  revenge  to  some  later  time. 

But  although  the  dark  clouds  of  the  political  thunderstorm  had 
been  removed  for  the  time  being,  they  were  constantly  threatening, 
like  a  gloomy  spectre  on  the  horizon,  casting  sinister  shadows  on 
every  day  and  on  every  hour. 

The  merry  people  of  Vienna,  owing  to  the  incessant  duration  of 
these  gloomy  shadows,  had  become  very  grave,  and  loudly  and 
softly  denounced  Minister  Thugut  as  the  author  and  instigator  of  all 
the  evils  that  were  menacing  Austria.  In  fact,  Baron  Thugut  was 
still  the  all-powerful  minister  ;  and  as  the  emperor  loved  and  feared 
him,  the  whole  court,  the  whole  capital,  and  the  whole  empire 
bowed  to  him.  But  while  bowing,  every  one  hated  him ;  while 
obeying,  every  one  cursed  him. 

Thugut  knew  it  and  laughed  at  it.  What  did  he  care  for  the 
love  and  hatred  of  men?  Let  them  curse  him,  if  they  only  obeyed 
him. 

And  they  obeyed  him.  The  machine  of  state  willingly  followed 
the  pressure  of  his  hand,  and  he  conducted  the  helm  with  a  vigorous 
arm.  He  directed  from  his  cabinet  the  destinies  of  Austria ;  he 
skilfully  and  ingeniously  wove  there  the  nets  with  which,  according 
to  his  purposes,  he  wanted  to  surround  friend  or  foe. 

To-day,  too,  he  had  worked  in  his  cabinet  until  evening,  and  he 
had  only  just  now  dismissed  his  two  private  secretaries,  Heinle  and 


198  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Hiibschle.  This  was  the  hour  at  which  Thugut  was  in  the  habit  of 
repairing  either  to  the  emperor  or  to  his  gardens  in  the  Wahringer 
Street.  His  valet  de  chambre,  therefore,  awaited  him  in  the  dress- 
ing-room, and  his  carriage  was  in  readiness  below  in  the  court-yard. 
To-day,  however,  the  minister  apparently  wished  to  deviate  from 
his  custom,  and  instead  of  going  to  the  dressing-room,  he  violently 
rang  the  bell. 

"  Germain, "  he  said,  to  the  entering  valet  de  chambre,  "  no  uni- 
form to-day,  no  gala-dress,  but  my  Turkish  garments.  Light  up 
the  Turkish  cabinet,  kindle  amber  in  the  lamps,  and  place  flowers 
in  the  vases.  In  the  course  of  an  hour  supper  for  two  persons  in 
the  Turkish  cabinet.  Arrange  every  thing  in  a  becoming  manner. " 

Germain  bowed  silently  and  withdrew,  in  order  soon  to  return 
with  the  ordered  Turkish  costume.  Thugut  silently  suffered  him- 
self to  be  clad  in  the  costly  Turkish  dressing-gown,  and  in  the  golden 
slippers,  the  wonderful  Cashmere  shawl  to  be  wrapped  around  his 
waist,  and  the  Turkish  fez  to  be  placed  on  his  head.  Germain  then 
brought  a  Turkish  pipe  with  a  splendidly  carved  amber  tip,  and 
handed  it  to  the  minister. 

"Now  open  the  door,"  said  Thugut,  laconically.  Germain 
touched  the  frame  of  the  large  painting  on  the  wall,  and  Thugut 
stepped  through  the  small  door  into  the  hall.  With  rapid  steps  he 
hastened  down  the  hall,  and  soon  stood  at  its  end  in  front  of  the 
narrow  wall  on  which  a  painting  of  the  Virgin,  illuminated  by  a 
perpetually  burning  lamp,  was  hanging.  Thugut  again  touched  an 
artificial  rose  on  the  frame,  the  painting  turned  around,  and  a  door 
became  visible  behind  it. 

The  minister  opened  this  door,  and,  crossing  the  threshold,  care- 
fully closed  it  again. 

He  now  was  in  his  Turkish  cabinet ;  all  these  beautiful  gold  bro- 
cades on  the  low  sofas,  these  costly  hangings  covering  the  walls, 
these  precious  carpets  on  the  floor  and  on  the  tables,  these  silver 
lamps  of  strange  forms,  hanging  down  from  the  ceiling,  and  filled 
with  amber,  all  these  richly  gilt  vessels  arranged  along  the  walls, 
were  delightful  reminiscences  to  Thugut — reminiscences  of  the  hap- 
piest period  of  his  life,  for  he  had  brought  all  these  things  from 
Constantinople,  where  he  had  lived  for  ten  years  as  Austrian  am- 
bassador. Thugut,  therefore,  never  entered  this  cabinet  without  a 
pleasant  smile  lighting  up  his  hard  features,  and  he  only  went 
thither  when  he  wished  to  permit  himself  an  hour  of  happiness 
amidst  the  perplexing  occupations  and  cares  of  his  official  position. 

On  this  occasion,  too,  as  soon  as  he  had  crossed  the  threshold,  his 
face  had  assumed  a  mild  and  gentle  expression,  and  the  harsh,  re- 
pulsive stamp  had  disappeared  from  his  features.  He  walked  across 


VICTORIA  DE  POUTET.  199 

the  room  with  a  smile,  and  quickly  touched  a  golden  knob,  fixed 
in  the  opposite  wall.  After  a  few  minutes  he  repeated  this  four 
times.  He  then  raised  his  eyes  to  a  small  silver  bell  hanging  above 
him  in  the  most  remote  corner  of  the  wall,  and  looked  at  it  stead- 
fastly. While  he  was  doing  so,  a  small  side  door  had  opened,  and 
Germain,  in  the  rich  costume  of  a  servant  of  the  harem,  had  entered. 
Thugut  had  not  once  looked  round  toward  him ;  he  had  not  once 
glanced  at  the  silver  vases  with  the  most  splendid  flowers,  which 
Germain  had  placed  on  the  marble  tables  ;  his  nose  was  apparently 
indifferent  to  the  sweet  perfumes  of  the  amber  which  Germain 
had  kindled  in  the  silver  lamps,  and  which  was  filling  the  room 
with  fragrant  bluish  clouds.  He  only  looked  at  the  small  bell,  and 
seemed  to  expect  a  signal  from  it  in  breathless  suspense.  But  Ger- 
main had  long  since  finished  the  decoration  of  the  Aoom  and  with- 
drawn again,  and  yet  the  bell  was  silent.  A  cloud  passed  over 
Thugut's  brow,  and  the  smile  disappeared  from  his  lips. 

"  She  was  not  there,  perhaps,  and  consequently  did  not  hear  my 
signal, "  he  murmured.  "  I  will  ring  the  bell  once  more. " 

He  stretched  out  his  hand  toward  the  golden  knob  in  the  wall, 
when  suddenly  a  clear,  pure  sound  was  heard.  It  was  the  small  bell 
that  had  been  rung. 

Thugut's  countenance  lighted  up  in  the  sunshine  of  happiness, 
and  he  looked  up  to  the  bell  again  in  silent  suspense.  For  a  few 
minutes  it  hung  motionless  again,  but  then  it  resounded  quickly 
three  times  in  succession.  "  In  thirty  minutes  she  will  be  here, " 
whispered  Thugut,  with  a  happy  smile.  "  Let  us  await  her,  then. " 

He  approached  the  small  table  on  which  he  had  laid  his  pipe,  and 
near  which  Germain  had  placed  a  small  silver  vessel  with  burning 
amber.  With  the  bearing  and  calmness  of  a  genuine  Turk  he 
lighted  his  pipe  and  then  sat  down  on  the  low  square  sofa.  Cross- 
ing his  legs,  supporting  his  right  elbow  on  the  cushions  of  gold 
brocade,  in  a  half-reclining  attitude,  Thugut  now  abandoned  him- 
self to  his  dreams  and  to  the  sweet  enjoyment  of  smoking.  He  was 
soon  surrounded  by  a  blue  cloud  from  which  his  black  eyes  were 
glistening  and  glancing  up  to  the  large  clock  on  the  mantelpiece. 

On  seeing  now  that  the  thirty  minutes  had  elapsed,  Thugut  rose 
with  youthful  v  iavcity ,  and  laid  his  pipe  aside.  He  then  approached 
the  large  and  strangely  formed  arm-chair,  standing  immediately 
under  the  silver  bell.  When  he  had  vigorously  pushed  back  the 
arm-chair,  a  small  door  became  visible  behind  it.  Thugut  opened 
it  and  placed  himself  by  it  in  a  listening  position. 

Suddenly  it  seemed  to  him  as  though  he  heard  a  slight  noise  in 
the  distance.  It  came  nearer,  and  now  there  appeared  in  the  aper- 
ture of  the  door  a  lady  of  wonderful  loveliness  and  surpassing 


200  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

beauty.  The  eye  could  behold  nothing  more  charming  than  this 
head  with  its  light-brown  ringlets,  surrounding  the  face  as  if  by  a 
ring  of  glory,  and  contrasting  so  strangely  with  the  large  black 
eyes,  which  were  sparkling  in  the  fire  of  youth  and  passion.  Her 
enchanting  lips  were  of  the  deepest  red,  and  a  delicate  blush,  like 
the  beautiful  tint  of  the  large  purple  shell,  mantled  the  cheeks. 
Her  nose,  of  the  purest  Roman  style,  was  slightly  curved,  and  her 
expansive  forehead  imparted  a  noble  and  serious  air  to  the  charming 
youthful  face.  The  beholder  saw  in  these  eyes,  ardor  and  passion  ; 
on  this  forehead,  thought  and  energetic  resolutions;  and  on  this 
swelling  mouth,  archness,  overflowing  spirits,  and  wit.  And  the 
figure  of  this  lovely  woman  was  in  full  harmony  with  her  ravishing 
head.  She  was  petite,  delicate,  and  ethereal,  like  a  sylph,  and  yet 
her  form  was  well  developed  and  beautiful ;  if  she  had  been  some- 
what taller,  she  might  have  been  compared  with  Juno. 

She  remained  standing  in  the  door,  and  with  her  flaming  eyes 
glanced  over  the  room  ;  then  she  fixed  them  on  Thugut,  and  burst 
into  a  loud  and  merry  laugh. 

"  Ah,  ah,  that  is  the  song  of  my  bulbul,  the  ringing  voice  of  my 
oriental  nightingale,"  exclaimed  Thugut,  drawing  the  laughing 
lady  with  gentle  force  into  the  room  and  pushing  the  arm-chair 
again  before  the  closed  door.  "Now  tell  me,  my  bulbul,  why  do 
you  laugh  ?" 

"Must  I  not  laugh?"  she  exclaimed,  in  a  clear  and  sonorous 
voice.  "  Is  not  this  a  surprise  as  if  it  were  a  scene  from  the  Arabian 
Nights  ?  You  told  me  six  months  ago  you  were  going  to  have  a  pas- 
sage made,  by  which  one  might  go  unseen  from  my  rooms  in  the 
Burg  to  your  apartments  in  the  chancery  of  state.  I  had  no  doubt 
of  the  truth  of  what  you  told  me,  for  fortunately  the  chancery  of 
state  is  close  to  the  Burg,  and  there  are  enough  secret  staircases  and 
doors  here  as  well  as  there.  I  was,  therefore,  by  no  means  surprised 
when  one  day,  in  the  silence  of  the  night,  I  heard  soft  hammering 
at  the  wall  of  my  bedroom,  and  suddenly  beheld  a  hole  in  the  wall, 
which,  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  had  been  transformed  into  a 
door  with  an  arm-chair  before  it,  just  like  that  one  there ;  in  the 
next  night,  a  locksmith  made  his  appearance  and  hung  up  a  small 
silver  bell  in  my  room,  concealing  it  behind  a  lamp  ;  and  yesterday 
you  whispered  to  me  :  'Await  the  signal  to-morrow !  I  have  to  talk 
to  you  about  important  affairs. '  I  therefore  waited  with  all  the 
impatience  of  curiosity ;  at  last  the  bell  resounded  six  times ;  I 
answered  the  signal  and  hastened  through  the  narrow  halls  and 
ascended  the  never -suspected  small  staircase,  perfectly  satisfied  that 
I  was  going  to  a  diplomatic  conference.  And  what  do  I  find?  A 
little  Turkish  paradise,  and  in  it  a  pacha — " 


VICTORIA  DE  POUTET.  201 

"Who  was  yearning  only  for  his  charming  houri  in  order  to  be 
entirely  in  paradise, "  said  Thugut,  interrupting  her.  "  Every  thing 
has  its  time,  my  Victoria,  state  affairs  as  well  as  happiness. " 

"The  question  only  is,  my  cold-hearted  friend,  whether  you  pre- 
fer state  affairs  or  happiness, "  she  replied,  smilingly  threatening 
him  with  her  finger. 

"  Happiness,  if  you  bring  it  to  me,  Victoria !"  he  exclaimed, 
pressing  the  beautiful  woman  impetuously  against  his  bosom. 

She  leaned  her  head  on  his  shoulder  and  looked  up  to  him  with 
an  air  of  arch  enthusiasm.  "  Are  you  happy  now  ?"  she  asked,  in  a 
low  voice. 

He  only  replied  by  means  of  glowing  kisses  and  whispered  words 
of  intense  passion  into  her  ear.  She  did  not  resist  him  ;  she  listened 
with  smiling  satisfaction  to  his  whispers,  and  a  deeper  blush  mantled 
her  cheeks. 

"  Ah,  I  like  to  hear  you  talk  thus,  she  said,  when  Thugut  paused  ; 
"  it  delights  me  to  sip  the  honey  of  oriental  poetry  from  the  lips  of 
my  wild  bear.  Even  the  Belvederian  Apollo  is  not  as  beautiful  as 
you  in  your  genial  and  wondrous  ugliness  when  you  are  talking 
about  love. " 

Thugut  laughed.  "Then  you  think  I  am  very  ugly,  Victoria?" 
he  asked. 

"  Yes,  so  ugly  that  your  ugliness  in  my  eyes  is  transformed  into 
the  most  inconceivable  beauty, "  she  said,  passing  her  rosy  fingers 
across  his  dark  and  bronzed  face.  "  Sometimes,  my  friend,  when 
I  see  you  in  the  imperial  halls,  with  your  strange  smile  and  your 
grave  bearing,  I  believe  it  is  the  god  of  darkness  himself  whom  I 
behold  there,  and  who  has  descended  upon  earth  in  order  to  catch  in 
person  a  few  human  souls  that  he  is  very  anxious  to  have  in  his 
power.  Ah,  I  would  not  have  you  an  iota  more  handsome,  nor  a 
single  year  younger.  I  like  your  demoniacal  ugliness  ;  and  the  in- 
fernal ardor,  hidden  under  the  snow  of  your  hair,  truly  delights 
me.  To  be  beloved  by  young  men  with  the  fickle  straw -fire  of  pas- 
sion is  a  very  common  thing ;  but  when  an  old  man  loves  as  intensely 
as  a  youth,  when  he  always  illuminates  the  beloved  with  the  glory 
of  a  fire  that  he  has  snatched  from  hell,  ah  !  that  is  something  en- 
chanting and  divine !  Love  me,  therefore,  in  your  own  way,  my 
beautiful,  ugly  prince  of  darkness  1" 

"  I  love  you  in  my  own  way,  my  charming  angel,  whom  nobody 
believes  to  be  a  demon, "  said  Thugut,  laughing.  "  I  feel  precisely 
like  you,  my  beautiful  Victoria ;  I  love  you  twice  as  ardently,  be- 
cause I  penetrated  your  true  nature  ;  because,  when  you  are  smiling 
upon  others,  I  alone  perceive  the  serpent,  while  others  only  behold 
the  roses,  and  because  I  alone  know  this  angelic  figure  to  conceal  the 


202  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

soul  of  a  demon.  Thus  we  love  each  other  because  we  belong  to 
each  other,  Victoria ;  you  call  me  the  prince  of  darkness,  and  you 
are  assuredly  the  crown -princess  of  hell.  After  my  death  you  will 
occupy  my  throne. " 

"Then  it  is  in  hell  just  as  in  Austria?"  asked  Victoria.  "The 
women  are  not  excluded  from  the  throne. " 

"Well,  sometimes  it  really  seems  to  me  as  though  it  were  in 
Austria  as  it  ought  to  be  in  hell,  and  as  though  the  small  devils  of 
stupidity,  folly,  and  ignorance,  had  chosen  Austria  for  their  par- 
ticular play-ground." 

"  Let  us  expel  them,  then,  my  friend, "  exclaimed  Victoria ;  "  I 
should  think  that  we  were  powerful  enough  to  accomplish  that. " 

"Will  you  assist  me  in  expelling  them?"  asked  Thugut,  quickly. 

"How  can  you  ask  me?"  she  said,  reproachfully.  "So  you  have 
forgotten  every  thing?  Our  whole  past  is  buried  under  the  dust  of 
your  ministerial  documents  ?" 

"  No,  I  have  forgotten  nothing  !"  exclaimed  Thugut,  almost  en- 
thusiastically. "  I  remember  every  thing.  Oh,  how  often,  Victoria, 
do  I  see  you  in  my  dreams,  just  as  I  saw  you  for  the  first  time !  Do 
you  yet  remember  when  it  was?" 

"  It  was  in  the  camp  in  front  of  Giurgewo. " 

"  Yes,  in  the  camp  in  front  of  Giurgewo,  at  the  time  that  the 
Turks  surprised  our  trenches.  *  All  of  our  officers  completely  lost 
their  senses ;  the  general- in-chief,  Prince  Coburg,  rode  off  in  the 
most  cowardly  manner ;  and  Count  Thun  had  been  killed,  while 
General  Anfsess  was  dangerously  wounded.  Oh,  it  was  a  terrible 
day ;  terror  and  dismay  spread  through  the  whole  camp.  A  wild 
panic  seized  the  soldiers,  they  fled  in  all  directions  ;  every  one  was 
shouting,  howling,  and  trembling  for  his  own  miserable  existence. 
I  had  just  gone  to  headquarters,  and  I  may  say  that  I  was  the  only 
one  who  did  not  tremble,  for  nature  has  not  imparted  fear  to  me.  I 
witnessed  the  growing  confusion  with  dismay,  when  I  suddenly  be- 
held a  woman,  an  angel,  who  appeared  with  dishevelled  hair,  and 
eyes  flashing  with  anger,  addressing  the  soldiers  and  admonishing 
them  in  glowing  words  to  do  their  duty.  No,  what  she  said  were 
no  words,  it  was  a  torrent  of  enthusiasm,  bursting  from  her  lips 
like  heavenly  flames.  And  the  soldiers  listened  in  amazement ; 
the  stragglers  rallied  round  their  colors,  the  cowards  were  ashamed, 
and  the  trembling  and  downcast  took  heart  again  when  they  heard 
the  ringing,  bold  words  of  the  beautiful  woman.  Reason  obtained 
its  sway  ;  they  were  able  qpce  more  to  hear  and  consider  what  we 
said  to  them,  and  thanks  to  you  and  to  myself,  the  ignominious 
rout  was  transformed  into  an  orderly  and  quiet  retreat.  Both  of  us 

*  In  1790. 


VICTORIA  DE  POUTET.  203 

saved  every  thing  that  was  yet  to  be  saved.  Ah,  it  is  a  funny  thing 
that  all  the  soldiers  in  the  large  camp  had  lost  their  wits,  and  that 
only  a  civilian  and  a  woman  kept  theirs.*  On  that  day,  in  my  en- 
thusiasm, I  vowed  eternal  friendship  to  you. " 

"  We  vowed  it  to  each  other  !"  exclaimed  Victoria. 

"  And  we  have  kept  our  vows.  I  sent  you  to  Vienna  with  a  rec- 
ommendation to  my  friend,  Count  Colloredo,  and  he  honored  my 
recommendation.  He  introduced  you  to  the  court ;  he  related  your 
heroic  deed  to  the  emperor,  and  the  whole  court  did  homage  to  the 
intrepid  heroine  of  Giurgewo.  Your  bold  husband,  the  handsome 
captain  of  hussars,  Charles  de  Poutet,  having  been  killed  in  Belgium 
at  the  assault  upon  Aldenhoven,  I  came  to  you  and  renewed  my  vow 
of  eternal  fidelity  and  friendship.  Did  I  keep  my  word  ?" 

"  You  did.  Thanks  to  you  and  to  Colloredo,  I  have  become  the 
friend  of  the  empress,  and  the  a/a  of  her  first-born  daughter,  the 
Archduchess  Maria  Louisa.  But,  on  obtaining  this  position,  I  re- 
newed to  you,  too,  my  vow  of  eternal  friendship  and  eternal  fidelity. 
Did  I  not  also  keep  my  word?" 

"  You  did.  Thanks  to  you  and  to  Colloredo,  I  have  become  prime 
minister  and  ruler  of  Austria  !" 

"And  now,  my  friend,  a  question.  Did  you  invent  this  Turkish 
cabinet,  the  secret  staircases  and  halls,  and  the  mysterious  language 
of  the  bells,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  relating  to  me  here  the  history 
of  our  past  feelings  toward  each  other?" 

"  No,  Victoria,  in  order  to  build  here  the  edifice  of  our  future. 
Here,  in  this  secret  cabinet,  we  will  lay  the  foundation  of  it,  and 
draw  up  the  plans.  Victoria,  I  stand  in  need  of  your  assistance- 
will  you  refuse  it  to  me  ?" 

"  Stretch  out  your  hand  with  the  sceptre,  my  god  of  darkness, 
command,  and  I  shall  obey !"  said  Victoria,  gliding  down  on  the 
sofa,  crossing  her  arms  on  her  breast,  and  looking  up  to  Thugut 
with  languishing  eyes. 

He  sat  down  by  her  side,  and  laid  his  hand  over  her  eyes. 

"  Do  not  look  at  me  so  charmingly  as  to  make  my  blood  rush  like 
fire  through  my  veins,"  he  said.  "Let  us  first  speak  of  business 
affairs,  and  then  we  will  forget  every  thing  in  draughts  of  fiery 
sherbet.  So  listen  to  me,  Victoria,  be  a  little  less  of  the  enchanting 
angel  now,  and  a  little  more  of  the  malicious  demon. " 

"Is  there  a  minister  to  overthrow,  a  powefrul  man  to  be  trampled 
under  foot?"  asked  Victoria,  her  black  eyes  flashing  like  dagger- 
points.  "  Have  we  got  an  enemy  whom  we  want  to  lead  across  the 
Ponte  dei  Sospiri  to  an  eternal  prison?  Speak  quickly,  my  friend  ;  I 
am  waiting  for  the  music  of  your  words. " 

•Vide  "  Kaiser  Franz  undMetternich .  Ein  Fragment,"  p.  83. 


204  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  There  are  two  enemies  for  you  to  fathom, "  said  Thugut,  slowly. 

"To  fathom!    Is  that  all?    A  little  spying,  nothing  further?" 

"  But  some  bloodshed  might  attend  that  spying. " 

"  I  like  blood,  it  has  such  a  beautiful  purple  color, "  said  Victoria, 
laughing.  "Who  are  the  two  enemies  I  am  to  fathom?" 

"  France  and  Prussia !" 

"Oh,  you  are  joking." 

"  No,  I  am  in  sober  earnest.  France  and  Prussia  are  the  two  ene- 
mies whose  innermost  thoughts  you  are  to  fathom. " 

"But  France  and  Prussia  are  not  here  in  Vienna. " 

"  No,  not  here  in  Vienna,  but  they  are  at  the  fortress  of  Rastadt. " 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,  my  friend. " 

"  Listen  to  me,  and  you  will  understand  me.  You  know  that  I 
hate  France,  and  that  I  abhor  the  peace  we  were  compelled  to  con- 
clude with  her.  France  is  a  hydra,  whose  head  we  must  cut  off,  or 
by  whom  we  must  allow  ourselves  to  be  devoured.  I  am  in  favor  of 
cutting  off  her  head. " 

"So  am  I!"  exclaimed  Victoria,  laughing.  "Have  you  got  a 
sword  sharp  enough  to  cut  off  the  hydra's  head?  Then  give  ijb  to 
me — I  will  behead  her. " 

"  The  hydra  believes  she  has  a  sword  with  which  she  might  kill 
me.  Listen  to  me.  I  was  once  in  my  life  foolish  enough  to  sign  a 
paper  which  might  prove  dangerous  to  me  in  case  it  should  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  emperor.  This  paper  is  in  the  hands  of  France. " 

"  France  has  got  a  large  hand.  Which  of  her  fingers  holds  the 
paper?" 

"A  year  ago,  the  paper  was  in  Bernadotte's  hands,  and  he  had 
already  applied  for  an  interview  with  the  empress,  in  order  to  de- 
liver to  her  the  paper,  which  she  had  promised  to  hand  to  the  em- 
peror. I  learned  it  in  time,  and  sent  out  a  few  friends  to  bring  the 
papers  out  of  his  own  rooms. " 

"  Ah,  I  understand.  It  was  on  the  day  of  the  festival  of  the  vol- 
unteers, and  of  the  inauguration  of  the  French  banner. " 

"  Yes,  it  was  on  that  day.  The  coup  was  not  entirely  successful ; 
we  gave  Bernadotte  a  good  lesson — we  compelled  him  to  leave 
Vienna,  but  he  took  these  papers  along. " 

"And  where  is  Bernadotte?" 

"  At  Rastadt,  where  he  attends  the  sessions  of  the  congress  as  the 
military  plenipotentiary  of  France. " 

"I  shall  go  there,  too,  as  your  plenipotentiary,  my  friend!"  ex- 
claimed Victoria,  smiling.  "But,  in  order  to  obtain  the  papers,  we 
shall  not  make  an  assault  upon  his  house  ;  we  shall  only  assail  his 
heart,  and  that  I  shall  open  a  breach  there  large  enough  to  let  the 
dangerous  papers  pass  through  it,  I  hope  my  skill  will  warrant — " 


VICTORIA  DE  POUTET.  205 

"Your  skill  and  your  beauty,"  said  Thugut,  interrupting  her. 
"But  I  believe  my  beautiful  Victoria  will  not  have  to  assail  Berna- 
dotte,  but  another  man.  Bernadotte  took  warning  from  that  scene 
in  his  house ;  he  understands  very  well  that  the  possession  of  those 
papers  is  dangerous,  and  he  has,  therefore,  transferred  the  danger 
to  other  shoulders.  He  has  intrusted  another  man  with  the  papers. " 

"Whom?  If  it  be  a  man  of  flesh  and  blood  name  him,  and  I 
shall  make  the  assault  upon  him, "  said  Victoria. 

"It  is  doubtless  one  of  the  three  ambassadors  of  the  French  Re- 
public, and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  it  is  the  haughty  and  im- 
pudent Bonnier.  It  was  he  at  least  who  spoke  to  Count  Cobenzl 
about  certain  papers  that  might  become  dangerous  to  me,  and  who 
inquired  stealthily  if  Cobenzl  would  feel  inclined  to  deliver  them  to 
the  emperor. " 

"  Let  me  depart,  my  friend ;  I  must  have  the  papers, "  said  Vic- 
toria, rising. 

"Ah,  how  beautiful  you  are  in  your  impetuosity!"  exclaimed 
Thugut,  smiling  ;  "  but  we  are  not  through  yet  with  our  conference, 
dear  Victoria.  For  the  sole  purpose  of  obtaining  those  miserable 
papers,  I  should  not  beg  my  angel  to  unfold  his  demon's  wings  and 
to  assist  me.  If  my  interests  alone  were  at  stake,  I  should  allow 
fate  to  take  its  course,  and  leave  every  thing  to  its  decision.  But 
the  interests  of  Austria  are  equally  at  stake  ;  and  I  do  not  say  this  in 
the  sense  in  which  my  great  predecessor,  Prince  Kaunitz,  used  to 
say  :  '  He  who  attacks  me,  attacks  Austria,  for  Austria  cannot  exist 
without  me.  She  would  fall  down  if  my  strong  hand  did  not  hold 
her. '  No,  I  know  very  well  that  no  man  is  indispensable  ;  that  we 
are  only  machines  in  the  hands  of  fate,  and  that,  as  soon  as  one  of 
these  machines  is  worn  out  and  unnecessary,  fate  casts  it  aside  and 
substitutesca  new  one.  But  the  state  is  something  more  exalted  and 
important  than  a  mere  individual ;  in  order  to  defend  it,  we  must 
collect  our  whole  energy,  our  whole  ability,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  in- 
difference if,  by  doing  so,  we  endanger  some  human  lives  and  shed 
some  blood.  There  is  an  abundance  of  human  lives  in  the  world, 
and  the  blood  that  has  been  shed  is  restored  in  the  course  of  a  few 
hours.  Victoria,  you  shall  not  merely  assist  me  ;  you  shall  aid  the 
state  too,  and  make  an  effort  for  its  welfare. " 

"Only  he  who  dares  wins  1"  exclaimed  Victoria,  with  a  fascinat- 
ing smile.  "  Tell  me  what  I  am  to  do,  my  friend. " 

"  To  be  fascinating,  to  avail  yourself  of  the  power  of  your  charms, 
that  is  all  To  tame  a  bear,  in  order  to  draw  his  secrets  from 
him." 

"In  what  forest  shall  I  find  this  bear?" 

"At  Rastadt,  and  his  name  is  Roberjot,  or  Bonnier,  or  Debry, 


206  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

for  aught  I  know.  Try  all  three  of  them.  One  of  them  at  least 
will  have  a  heart  capable  of  falling  in  love,  and  eyes  to  admire  your 
beauty.  Chain  that  man  to  your  triumphal  car,  fathom  him,  try  to 
become  his  confidante,  and  sift  his  secrets. " 

"For  a  special  purpose,  or  only  in  general?" 

"  For  a  special  purpose.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  France  is 
deceiving  us,  and  that,  while  seeking  an  alliance  with  us,  and  as- 
suring us  every  day  of  her  friendship,  she  is  secretly  plotting 
against  us. " 

"Plotting  with  whom?" 

"With  Prussia,  Austria's  mortal  enemy.  France  has  promised 
us  not  to  grant  any  further  aggrandizement  to  Prussia.  I  am  satis- 
fied that  she  has  secretly  made  similar  promises  to  Prussia  in  rela- 
tion to  us,  and  that  she  is  trying  as  eagerly,  and  by  means  of  as 
many  assurances,  to  obtain  the  alliance  of  Prussia,  as  that  of  Austria. 
It  is,  however,  of  the  highest  importance  for  us  to  know  what  France 
may  have  promised  to  Prussia,  and  how  far  the  negotiations  between 
the  two  powers  have  gone.  To  fathom  this,  either  by  amicable  or 
violent  means,  by  shrewdness  or  by  compulsion,  by  bribery  or  by 
threats,  will  be  your  task,  my  heavenly  demon. " 

"  It  is  a  beautiful  task,  because  it  isia  difficult  one, "  said  Victoria, 
proudly.  "It  is  a  matter  of  life  and  .death,  this  duel  I  am  to  fight 
with  one  of  those  French  bears. " 

u  But  my  beautiful  Victoria  shall  not  lack  seconds  to  furnish  her 
weapons,  and  to  do  every  thing  she  wants  them  to  do. " 

"Who  are  my  seconds?" 

"  Count  Lehrbach  and  Colonel  Barbaczy . " 

"Ah,  Barbaczy,  whose  acquaintance  we  made  at  Giurgewo?" 

"The  same.  A  bold,  intrepid  man,  who  is  not  afraid  of  any- 
body— neither  of  God  nor  of  the  devil. " 

"  Lehrbach  and  Barbaczy,  your  two  bloodhounds, "  said  Victoria, 
musingly.  "  If  they  are  to  be  my  seconds,  I  am  afraid  the  duel 
will  not  merely  remain  a  spiritual  one,  and  not  merely  hearts  will 
be  wounded.  I  am  afraid  real  blood  will  be  shed,  and  there  will  be 
carnal  wounds." 

"  I  must  have  the  papers !"  exclaimed  Thugut,  "  either  by  means 
of  cunning  or  by  measures  of  open  violence,  do  you  understand? 
And  as  to  the  wounds  and  blood,  I  wish  with  all  my  heart  to  give 
these  impudent  republican  fellows  who  are  putting  on  such  airs  at 
Rastadt,  as  though  they  were  masters  of  Germany,  a  sound  and 
bloody  lesson,  and  thus  give  France  an  unmistakable  proof  of  our 
opinion." 

"Good,  my  dear  Satan,  I  shall  assist  you  in  performing  this 
little  infernal  comedy.  Two  weighty  questions,  however,  remain 


VICTORIA  DE  POUTET.  207 

to  be  asked.  On  what  pretext  shall  I  ask  my  imperial  mistress  to 
grant  me  leave  of  absence?" 

"Have  you  not  got  a  sister,  who  is  married  to  a  rich  country 
gentleman,  in  the  grand-duchy  of  Baden,  and  who  informed  you 
yesterday  that  she  had  been  suddenly  taken  dangerously  ill?" 

"I  have  a  sister!"  exclaimed  Victoria,  laughing.  "I  who  never 
knew  a  paternal  roof,  or  family — I  who  dropped  upon  earth  like  a 
ripe  peach-blossom,  and  would  have  been  crushed  there,  if  my 
handsome  and  generous  Charles  de  Poutet  had  not  accidentally 
passed  by  while  the  wind  was  driving  me  along,  and  if  he  chival- 
rously had  not  picked  me  up  and  placed  me  in  his  button-hole.  I 
never  knew  my  family — I  was  an  orphan  since  my  earliest  child- 
hood. No,  my  friend,  I  have  no  sister. " 

"  Oh,  try  to  recollect,  Victoria ;  it  is  your  sister  who  has  called 
you  to  her  death-bed,  and  for  whose  sake  the  empress  will  give  you 
leave  of  absence. " 

"  Ah,  vraiment,  I  recollect  now !  Of  course,  I  must  go  and  see 
my  sister.  The  good,  dear  sister — how  she  will  long  to  see  me  again 
in  order  to  recover  from  her  sickness !  Oh,  I  must  repair  to  my 
sister — nothing  must  detain  me  here.  The  kind-hearted  empress 
will  not  refuse  me  leave  of  absence,  for  I  have  to  fulfil  a  sacred 
duty.  Family  ties  are  more  sacred  than  any  other. " 

"  Ah,  you  are  really  a  most  affectionate  sister  ;  the  empress  will 
readily  grant  you  leave  of  absence,  and  you  will  set  out  to-morrow 
evening.  I  shall  provide  fresh  horses  for  you  at  every  station,  and 
I  shall  send  you  to-morrow  morning  a  comfortable  travelling-coach. 
Your  first  question,  then,  is  answered.  Now  for  the  second." 

"  Yes,  my  friend,  I  will  briefly  state  my  second  question.  After 
accomplishing  my  task,  after  chivalrously  fighting  my  duel,  and 
conquering  the  papers,  what  will  be  my  reward  ?" 

"  Your  reward  will  be  the  only  one  I  dare  offer  to  a  beautiful 
young  widow, "  said  Thugut,  with  a  diabolical  smile.  "  A  husband 
who  will  bestow  upon  you  a  distinguished  name,  who  will  strengthen 
your  position  at  court,  and  who  will  one  day  bequeath  to  you  a 
princely  inheritance. " 

"  What !"  exclaimed  Victoria,  joyfully,  "  you  will  marry  me,  my 
friend?" 

"I?"  asked  Thugut,  almost  in  terror.  "Who  spoke  of  me?  Am 
I  able  to  offer  you  wealth  and  a  distinguished  name?  My  fortune 
would  be  too  insignificant  for  your  pin-money,  and  although  the 
ship-builder's  son  has  acquired  quite  a  distinguished  name,  he 
lacks  the  dust  of  ten  dead  ancestors.  I  am  my  own  ancestor,  and 
my  pedigree  contains  but  my  own  name.  No,  Victoria,  I  have 
something  better  in  store  for  you.  I  shall  make  you  the  wife  of 


208  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

the  minister,  Count  Colloredo.  He  is  a  member  of  the  old  aristoc- 
racy, and  his  wife  will  outrank  at  court  all  the  ladies  of  the  minis- 
ters and  of  the  lower  nobility.  He  is,  moreover,  very  wealthy,  and 
a  favorite  of  the  emperor.  I  shall  give  him  to  understand  that  he 
loves  you  ardently,  and  that  he  would  pine  away  if  you  should  re- 
ject him.  The  dear  count  does  not  like  to  hear  people  talk  about 
pining  away  and  dying,  and  he  will  consider  himself  saved  if  you 
accept  him  and  allow  him  to  grow  young  again  in  your  arms.  To 
induce  him  to  marry  you,  and  to  direct  him  correctly,  let  me  alone 
for  that.  On  the  day  on  which  you  bring  me  the  papers,  even  if 
they  should  be  somewhat  blood-stained,  on  that  day  I  shall  have  the 
honor  to  lead  you  to  the  altar,  and  greet  you  by  the  name  of  Countess 
Colloredo." 

"The  scheme  is  good  and  feasible,"  said  Victoria,  musingly, 
"and  yet  I  do  not  like  it  altogether.  To  be  frank  with  you,  my 
friend,  if  you  really  believe  that  I  ought  to  marry  again,  why  will 
not  you  marry  me?  What  shall  I  do  with  the  childish,  conceited, 
and  proud  Count  Colloredo,  who  is  already  seventy  years  of  age? 
Why  cannot  I  have  my  god  of  darkness?  Thugut,  I  ask  you,  why 
do  not  you  want  to  marry  me?" 

Thugut  replied  to  the  naming  glance  of  the  charming  lady  by  a 
loud  laugh. 

"I  marry  you?  Ah,  my  heavenly  demon!  that  would  be  very 
imprudent,  for  in  that  case  I  should  have  to  require  you  to  lead  a 
devout  and  chaste  life,  and  to  keep  my  name  unsullied. " 

"Ah,  you  insult  me,"  exclaimed  Victoria,  feelingly.  "You 
want  to  insinuate  that  I  am  unworthy  of  being  your  wife. " 

"  You  are  worthy  of  being  much  more,  dearest,  for  you  are  a 
demon  of  love  ;  but  my  wife  ought  only  to  be  a  matron  of  chastity. " 

"Oh,  how  tiresome  !"  sighed  Victoria. 

"Yes,  how  tiresome  I"  repeated  Thugut.  "And  our  own  heav- 
enly liaison,  the  last  romantic  dream  of  my  life,  would  it  not  also 
be  broken  off  if  you  were  to  become  my  wife?  Why  would  we  then 
stand  in  need  of  secrecy — of  hidden  staircases  and  doors,  and  of 
this  Turkish  cabinet? — inasmuch  as  I  should  have  the  right  to  enter 
your  rooms  before  the  eyes  of  the  whole  world.  Besides,  we  would 
be  unable  to  be  useful  to  each  other.  My  wife,  of  course,  would 
have  to  side  with  me  and  defend  me  everywhere,  while,  in  case  you 
are  married  to  another  man,  you  are  at  liberty  to  act  for  me  and  to 
favor  me.  I  could  not  promote  the  interests  of  my  wife  at  court ; 
I  could  not  speak  of  her  in  terms  of  praise  to  the  empress,  and  rec- 
ommend that  fresh  honors  and  distinctions  be  conferred  upon  her. 
My  wife,  therefore,  would  remain  the  a/a  of  the  little  Archduchess 
Maria  Louisa,  while  my  influence  will  be  able  to  secure  to  the 


VICTORIA  DE  POUTET.  209 

Countess  Victoria  Colloredo  the  position  of  a  first  lady  of  honor  of 
the  duchess. " 

"First  lady  of  honor!"  exclaimed  Victoria,  joyfully,  and  with 
glowing  cheeks.  "  You  are  right,  my  friend,  it  is  better  for  me  to 
marry  Count  Colloredo.  Colloredo  has  great  power  over  the  em- 
peror ;  I  have  great  power  over  the  empress,  and  shall  have  the  same 
power  over  Colloredo.  But  I  am  again  under  your  control,  and  thus 
you  will  rule  us  all,  and  rule  Austria,  for  I  shall  always  remain 
your  faithful  servant  and  friend. " 

"Women's  oaths  are  as  fitful  as  the  wind,  they  are  as  fleeting  as 
the  clouds, "  said  Thugut,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  But  I  believe 
you,  Victoria,  for  you  are  no  woman  like  other  women.  If  I  were 
ever  to  discover  that  you  had  deceived  me,  I  should  take  a  terrible 
revenge !" 

"What  sort  of  revenge,  my  friend?"  asked  Victoria,  embracing 
him  smilingly.and  tenderly. 

"I  know  but  one  punishment  for  a  faithless  woman,"  said  Thu- 
gut, "  and  if  I  envy  any  thing,  my  friend,  Sultan  Mustapha,  is  able 
to  do  it,  it  is  his^  power  of  publicly  inflicting  this  punishment.  A 
faithless  woman  is  drowned  in  a  sack,  that  is  all.  She  is  placed  in 
a  sack — gagged,  of  course,  so  as  to  be  unable  to  scream — and  in  the 
dead  of  night  she  is  rowed  out  into  the  sea,  which  silently  opens  its 
waves  in  order  to  receive  the  silent  victim.  I  have  witnessed  this 
romantic  spectacle  three  times  in  Constantinople,  and  it  always 
filled  me  with  delight.  It  is  so  noiseless,  so  simple,  and  yet  so  sig- 
nificant !  It  is  true  we  have  no  sea  here,  but  we  have  the  Danube, 
and  there  is  room  in  it  for  many  faithless  women.  Beware,  there- 
fore, Victoria !  But  now  a  truce  to  business  and  politics.  Now, 
my  demon,  unfold  your  angel  wings,  and  let  me  pass  an  hour  with 
you  in  paradise.  Will  you  do  me  the  honor,  Countess  Colloredo  in 
spe,  to  take  supper  with  me  here?" 

"Here?"  said  Victoria,  looking  around  wonderingly.  "Where 
is  the  supper- table?" 

"  You  will  see  it  directly. " 

Thugut  stooped  and  vigorously  pressed  a  golden  knob,  fixed  in 
the  floor,  close  to  the  sofa.  Immediately  a  creaking  and  rattling 
noise  was  heard  ;  the  floor  opened,  and  a  large  aperture  became  visi- 
ble. After  a  few  minutes  a  table,  covered  with  the  most  luxurious 
dishes  and  sparkling  wines,  and  glittering  with  silver  and  crystal, 
slowly  and  majestically  arose. 

"  Splendid !"  shouted  Victoria,  dancing  like  a  fairy  around  the 
magic  table — "  splendid  1  The  prince  of  darkness  commands,  hell 
opens,  and  by  the  fire,  over  which  the  souls  of  the  wicked  are  roast- 
ing, the  most  savory  dishes  have  been  prepared  for  Satan !  But  first 


210  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

swear  to  me,  my  friend,  that  this  pheasant  is  filled  with  truffles, 
and  not  with  human  souls. " 

"My  dear  Victoria,"  replied  Thugut,  laughing,  "human  souls 
have  only  too  often  the  same  fate  as  truffles — hogs  discover  them ! 
Come,  I  drink  this  glass  of  sherbet  to  the  health  of  the  Countess  Col- 
loredo  in  spe  / " 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

RASTADT. 

THE  congress  of  Rastadt  had  been  in  session  for  nearly  two  years. 
For  nearly  two  years  the  German  ambassadors  had  been  quarrelling 
with  France  about  the  ancient  boundaries  of  the  empire,  and  had 
been  quarrelling  among  each  other  about  a  few  strips  of  land,  a  few 
privileges  which  one  state  demanded,  while  another  would  not 
grant. 

It  was  a  sorrowful  and  humiliating  spectacle  this  congress  of 
Rastadt  presented  to  the  world,  and  all  Germany  was  looking  on 
with  feelings  of  pain  and  shame,  while  France  pointed  at  it  with 
scornful  laughter,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  It  is  not  France  that  destroys  and  dissolves  Germany,  but  Ger- 
many is  annihilating  herself.  She  is  dissolving  away,  owing  to  her 
own  weakness,  and  the  dissensions  of  her  rulers  will  kill  her  !" 

Yes,  indeed,  Germany  bore  the  germ  of  death  and  dissolution  in 
her  sick,  lacerated  breast,  and  the  first  symptoms  of  putrefaction 
already  made  their  appearance.  These  first  symptoms  were  the  envy, 
jealousy,  and  hatred  the  rulers  of  Germany  felt  toward  each  other, 
and  the  malicious  joy  with  which  one  saw  another  die,  without 
pitying  his  torments,  and  only  mindful  of  the  fact  that  he  would  be 
the  dying  state's  heir. 

The  first  section  of  Germany  which  succumbed  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, embraced  the  bishoprics  and  ecclesiastical  states.  They 
exhibited  most  of  all  the  corruption  and  putrefaction  of  German 
affairs.  Hence,  such  German  states  as  expected  to  be  benefited  by 
their  dissolution,  voted  for  secularization,  while  such  as  were  threat- 
ened with  losses  voted  against  it.  A  new  apple  of  discord  had  been 
thrown  into  the  German  empire  ;  the  last  spark  of  German  unity  was 
gone,  and  two  hostile  parties,  bitterly  menacing  each  other,  were 
formed.  Austria  loudly  raised  her  voice  against  the  secularization 
of  the  ecclesiastical  possessions,  because  she  could  derive  no  benefit 
from  it ;  while  Prussia  declared  in  favor  of  secularization,  because 
she  believed  she  would  be  able  to  aggrandize  her  territory  in  conse- 
quence ;  and  the  secondary  princes  demanded  the  dissolution  of  the 


RASTADT  211 

bishoprics  even  more  urgently  than  Prussia,  because  they  knew  that 
a  portion  of  those  dominions  would  fall  to  their  own  share. 

Covetousness  caused  the  German  princes  to  overlook  all  other  in- 
terests, and  to  act  contrary  to  all  correct  principles  ;  covetousness 
caused  them  first  to  shake  the  decaying  ancient  German  empire  ; 
covetousness  caused  them  to  destroy  the  old  political  organization 
of  the  country,  and  German  hands  were  the  first  to  tear  down  the 
edifice  of  the  imperial  constitution. 

The  German  ambassadors  at  Rastadt  forgot,  therefore,  the  orig- 
inal object  of  their  mission  ;  they  had  come  thither  to  secure  the 
continued  existence  of  the  German  empire,  and  to  protect  Germany 
from  the  encroachments  of  France,  and  now  they  were  threatening 
the  German  empire  themselves.  They  had  come  thither  to  establish 
the  boundaries  of  Germany,  and  now  they  were  attacking  the  boun- 
daries of  the  single  sections  and  states  of  the  empire  themselves. 

No  wonder  that  France  sought  to  profit  by  these  dissensions  of 
the  Germans  among  each  other ;  no  wonder  that  she  thought  she 
might  seize  a  piece  of  Germany,  too,  seeing,  as  she  did,  that  the 
German  States  were  quarrelling  among  themselves  about  the  divi- 
sion of  the  spoils.  France,  therefore,  advanced  her  troops  farther  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Rhine,  and  claimed  the  fortresses  of  Kehl, 
Ehrenbreitstein,  and  Castel. 

This  fresh  and  unparalleled  exaction  silenced  the  domestic  quar- 
rels among  the  Germans  for  a  moment,  and  all  voices  united  to  pro- 
test loudly  and  solemnly  against  the  new  demand  of  the  French 
Republic. 

But  the  French  replied  to  the  solemn  protests  of  the  German  am- 
bassadors atRastadt  by  cold  sneers  and  violent  threats.  Ehrenbreit- 
stein not  being  surrendered  to  them  after  the  first  summons,  they 
blockaded  the  fortress,  levied  contributions  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Rhine,  and  declared  the  possessions  of  the  nobility  to  be  forfeited 
to  the  French  Republic.*  The  German  ambassadors  at  Rastadt 
complaining  of  these  oppressive  proceedings,  the  French  declared, 
"the  magnanimity  of  the  French  had  exceeded  all  expectations. 
They  were  able  to  take  every  thing,  and  they  had  contented  them- 
selves with  very  little." 

The  congress  had  met  at  Rastadt  in  order  to  conclude  peace,  but 
so  far  the  negotiations  had  produced  nothing  but  exasperation  and 
a  strong  probability  of  ultimate  war.  The  arrogance  and  scornful 
bearing  of  France  became  every  day  more  intolerable,  and  the  desire 
of  Austria  became  proportionately  more  evident  to  punish  France 
for  her  insolence,  and  to  take  revenge  for  the  numerous  and  galling 
insults  she  had  heaped  upon  Germany.  Prussia  hesitated  to  join 
*  Vide  Hausser's  "History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  201 

MUHLBACH J  YOL.     7 


212  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Austria,  and  to  declare  in  favor  of  open  hostilities  against  France ; 
she  deemed  such  a  war  injurious  to  her  particular  interests,  and 
desired  to  maintain  peace ;  the  secondary  German  states,  however, 
allowed  themselves  \o  be  intimidated  by  the  threats  of  France  to 
devour  all  of  them,  and  they  were  quite  willing  to  expose  Germany 
to  farther  humiliations,  provided  that  their  own  petty  existence 
should  not  be  endangered. 

The  work  of  pacification,  therefore,  made  no  progress  whatever, 
but  only  became  a  disgrace  to  Germany,  and  the  congress  of  Rastadt 
was  nothing  but  a  symptom  of  the  disease  of  which  Germany  was 
eoon  to  perish.  Germany  seemed  destined  to  die,  like  an  aged  and 
decrepit  man,  of  her  own  weakness  and  exhaustion. 

This  weakness  was  every  day  on  the  increase.  In  January,  1799, 
Ehrenbreitstein  succumbed,  and  the  French  occupied  the  fortress. 

Still  the  peace  commissioners  remained  in  session  at  Rastadt,  and 
continued  their  negotiations  with  the  French,  who  just  now  had 
again  perfidiously  violated  the  treaties,  and  appropriated  German 
possessions.  x 

If  the  German  ambassadors,  perhaps,  were  lost  to  all  sense  of 
honor  and  of  their  disgraceful  position,  the  representatives  of  France 
were  fully  conscious  of  their  dignity.  They  treated  the  ambassadors 
of  Germany  in  the  most  scornful  manner  ;  they  dared  haughtily  and 
arrogantly  to  meddle  with  the  domestic  affairs  of  Germany ;  they 
constantly  trumped  up  new  claims  in  the  most  overbearing  attitude, 
and  in  their  habitual  imperious  tone,  and  the  representatives  of  the 
German  empire  scarcely  dared  to  refuse  their  exactions  even  in  the 
most  timid  manner. 

Only  one  of  the  three  French  ambassadors,  for  the  last  few  weeks, 
had  been  less  supercilious  than  his  colleagues ;  he  had  participated 
less  than  formerly  in  the  affairs  of  the  German  congress,  and  while 
Roberjot  and  Jean  Debry  were  raising  their  arrogant  and  haughty 
voices  in  every  session  of  congress,  Bonnier  kept  aloof.  He  even 
held  no  further  intercourse  with  hi.  own  countrymen ;  and  his  tall 
and  imposing  figure,  with  the  proud  and  gloomy  countenance,  was 
seen  no  longer  every  night  as  heretofore  in  the  drawing-rooms  of 
the  wives  of  Roberjot  and  Debry.  He  kept  aloof  from  society  as  he 
kept  aloof  from  the  congress,  and  the  French  ladies  smilingly  whis- 
pered to  each  other  that  something  strange,  something  unheard  of, 
had  happened  to  the  austere  republican.  To  the  man  who  hereto- 
fore had  proudly  resisted  the  blandishments  of  beautiful  women, 
they  said  he  had  fallen  in  love  with  that  wondrously  lovely  and 
strange  lady  who  had  been  at  Rastadt  for  the  last  few  weeks,  but 
who  was  living  in  such  seclusion  that  the  public  had  only  occasion- 
ally got  a  sight  of  her.  No  one  knew  who  this  strange  lady  was, 


RASTADT.  213 

and  what  she  wanted  at  Rastadt ;  she  had  paid  visits  tofno  one,  and 
left  her  card  nowhere.  She  had  arrived  only  attended  by  a  footman 
and  a  lady's  maid  ;  but  in  advance,  a  brilliant  suite  of  rooms  and  a 
box  at  the  theatre  had  been  retained  for  her.  In  this  box  every 
night  the  beautiful  strange  lady  was  seen  closely  veiled,  and  the 
gloomy  pale  face  of  Bonnier  had  been  repeatedly  beheld  by  her  side. 

Victoria  de  Poutet,  therefore,  had  accomplished  her  purpose ; 
she  had  tamed  one  of  the  French  bears,  and  surrounded  him  with 
the  magic  nets  of  her  beauty.  She  was  the  mysterious  strange  lady 
whose  appearance  had  created  so  great  a  sensation  in  the  drawing- 
rooms  of  Rastadt  for  the  last  few  weeks ;  she  was  the  lady  whom 
Bonnier  was  following  as  though  he  were  her  shadow. 

She  had  come  to  him  as  a  refugee,  as  a  persecuted  woman,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes.  She  had  told  him  a  tragic  story  of  Thugut's 
tyranny  and  wanton  lust.  Because  she  had  refused  to  submit  to  the 
voluptuous  desires  of  the  Austrian  minister,  he  had  sworn  to  ruin 
her,  and  his  love  had  turned  into  furious  hatred.  She  further 
stated  the  minister  had  threatened  her  with  the  confiscation  of  her 
property,  with  imprisonment,  death,  and  disgrace,  and  she  had 
only  succeeded  by  her  courage  and  cunning  in  saving  herself  and  in 
escaping  from  Austria.  Now  she  came  to  Bonnier  to  invoke  the 
protection  and  assistance  of  generous  France,  and  to  flee  from  the 
rude  violence  of  a  German  minister  to  the  chivalrous  aegis  of  the 
French  Republic. 

How  beautiful  she  was  in  her  tears,  with  the  mournful  smile  on 
her  swelling  lips  !  But  how  much  more  beautiful  when  a  deep  blush 
mantled  her  cheeks,  and  when  her  large  dark  eyes  were  sparkling 
in  the  glow  of  revenge  and  anger  ! 

For  Victoria  de  Poutet  did  not  only  want  protection — she  also 
sought  revenge — revenge  on  that  tyrant  Thugut,  who  had  dared  to 
threaten  her  innocence  and  virtue,  and  to  assail  her  honor  and  hap- 
piness. She  was  not  only  persecuted — she  was  also  insulted,  and 
she  wished  to  chastise  the  Austrian  minister  for  these  insults.  Bon- 
nier was  to  lend  her  his  assistance  for  this  purpose.  He  was  to  pro- 
cure means  for  her  to  overthrow  Thugut. 

How  eloquently  and  enthusiastically  did  she  speak  to  Bonnier 
about  her  misfortunes,  her  anger,  and  her  thirst  of  revenge  !  How 
much  truthf ulness  there  ^vas  depicted  in  her  face — what  a  demoniacal 
ardor  in  her  eyes ;  how  much  energy  in  her  whole  bearing,  so  in- 
dicative of  bold  determination  and  of  an  indomitable  spirit  I 

Bonnier  gazed  at  her  in  wondering  delight,  in  timid  awe.  He 
who  had  hated  women  because  they  were  so  weak,  so  peevish,  and 
insignificant,  now  saw  before  him  a  woman  with  the  energy  of  a 
hatred  such  as  he  had  scarcely  known  himself,  with  the  enthusiasm  of 


214  LOUISA    OF   PRUSSIA. 

a  revengef ulness  that  shrank  back  from  no  dangers  and  no  obstacles. 
Under  this  delicate,  ethereal  female  form  there  was  concealed  the 
spirit  and  firm  will  of  a  man ;  bold  thoughts  were  written  on  her 
forehead,  and  an  enchanting  smile  was  playing  on  her  full  lips. 
While  Bonnier  was  listening  to  the  dithyrambics  of  her  hatred  and 
revenge,  love  glided  into  his  own  heart ;  she  had  fascinated  him  by 
her  revengeful  hymns  as  others  fascinate  by  their  love-songs. 

Victoria  was  conscious  of  her  triumph  ;  her  eagle  eye  had  watched 
every  motion,  eveiy  step  of  this  innocent  lamb  she  was  going  to 
strangle ;  she  had  seen  him  fall  into  the  glittering  nets  she  had 
spread  out  for  him  ;  she  knew  that  he  was  a  captive  in  her  meshes 
without  being  aware  of  it  himself. 

Her  bearing  now  underwent  a  change  ;  she  was  no  longer  merely 
a  woman  thirsting  for  revenge,  but  also  a  tender,  loving  woman ; 
she  was  no  longer  merely  filled  with  hatred,  but  she  also  seemed 
susceptible  of  gentler  emotions ;  she  lowered  her  eyes  before  Bon- 
nier's  ardent  glances  and  blushed.  To  his  timid  and  faltering  pro- 
testations of  love  she  replied  by  subdued  sighs,  and  by  a  dreamy 
smile  ;  and  when  Bonnier  at  length  dared  to  approach  her  with  a 
bold  confession  of  his  passion — when  he  was  on  his  knees  before  her, 
all  aglow  with  love  and  enthusiasm,  Victoria  bent  over  him  with  a 
sweet  smile,  and  whispered :  "Give  me  the  papers  that  are  to  ruin 
Thugut ;  surrender  that  vile  man  to  my  revenge,  and  my  love,  my 
life  are  yours !" 

Bonnier  looked  up  to  her  with  a  triumphant  smile.  "You  are 
mine,  then,  Victoria, "  he  said,  "  for  you  shall  have  those  papers  !  I 
surrender  that  infamous  and  treacherous  man  to  your  revenge  !" 

She  stretched  out  her  hands  toward  him  with  a  cry  of  boundless 
joy.  "  Give  me  the  papers, "  she  exclaimed  ;  "  give  them  to  me,  and 
I  will  thank  you  as  only  love  is  able  to  thank  !" 

Bonnier  looked  a  long  while  at  her,  and  his  face,  usually  so 
gloomy,  was  now  radiant  with  happiness  and  delight. 

"To-morrow,  my  charming  fairy, "  he  said,  "to-morrow  you  shall 
have  the  papers  which  are  to  open  hell  to  your  enemy,  and  heaven 
to  your  enraptured  friend.  But  you  must  give  me  also  a  proof  of 
your  confidence  and  love  ;  you  must  come  to  me  and  call  in  person 
for  the  papers.  I  give  you  the  highest  proof  of  my  love  by  deliver- 
ing to  you  documents  that  do  not  belong  to  me,  but  to  the  republic. 
Then  give  me  likewise  the  highest  proof  of  your  love.  Come  to  me  !" 

She  cast  a  long  and  glowing  glance  on  him.  "I  shall  come  !"  she 
whispered. 

And  Victoria  kept  her  word.  Early  on  the  following  morning  a 
closely -veiled  lady  was  seen  to  glide  into  the  castle  of  Rastadt,  where 
the  three  French  ambassadors  were  living  at  that  time.  Bonnier 


RASTADT.  215 

received  her  in  person  at  the  foot  of  the  wide  staircase,  and  gave 
her  his  arm  in  order  to  conduct  her  to  the  rooms  occupied  by  himself. 

They  exchanged  not  a  word  with  each  other,  but  walked  silently 
through  the  sumptuous  apartments  and  finally  entered  Bonnier 's 
study. 

"  We  are  at  the  goal — here  I  bid  you  welcome,  my  fairy  queen  !" 
exclaimed  Bonnier.  "Remove  now  these  odious  veils.  Let  me 
now  at  length  see  your  beautiful  features  !" 

He  violently  tore  off  her  black  veils,  and  Victoria  suffered  it 
smilingly,  and  looked  at  him  with  a  wondrous  air  of  joy  and  hap- 
piness. 

"  Are  you  content  now  ?"  she  asked,  in  her  superb,  sonorous  voice. 
"  Has  the  proud  lord  of  creation  now  prepared  a  new  and  satisfactory 
triumph  for  himself?  The  poor  slave  whom  he  loves  must  come  to 
him  and  beg  him  for  love  and  happiness  !" 

She  had  crossed  her  hands  on  her  breast,  and  half  kneeling  down 
before  Bonnier,  she  looked  up  to  him  with  a  fascinating  mixture  of 
archness  and  passion. 

Bonnier  lifted  her  up  and  wanted  to  imprint  a  kiss  upon  her  lips, 
but  she  violently  pushed  him  back. 

"  No, "  she  said,  "  let  us  be  sensible  as  long  as  we  can.  First  we 
must  attend  to  our  business. " 

"Business!"  exclaimed  Bonnier.  "What  have  we  to  do  with 
business?  Leave  business  to  the  diplomatists  and  their  clerks. 
Why  should  lips  so  charming  and  beautiful  pronounce  this  cold  and 
dismal  word?" 

"If  I  spoke  of  business,  I  meant  revenge,"  said  Victoria,  fer- 
vently. "  Give  me  the  papers,  Bonnier — the  papers  that  are  to  ruin 
Thugut !" 

Bonnier  took  her  head  between  his  hands  and  looked  at  her  with 
flaming  eyes. 

"Then  you  hate  him  still?  You  still  desire  to  take  revenge  on 
him?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  hate  him  !"  she  exclaimed,  "  and  the  happiest  day  of  my 
life  will  be  the  one  on  which  I  see  him  hurled  down  from  his  proud 
eminence,  and  sneaking  alone,  miserable,  and  despised  into  ob- 
scurity. " 

"One  might,  indeed,  really  believe  that  she  is  in  earnest,  and 
that  truth  alone  could  utter  such  words, "  muttered  Bonnier,  who 
constantly  held  her  head  in  his  hands,  and  thus  gazed  at  her. 
"  Swear  to  me,  Victoria,  swear  to  me  by  what  is  most  sacred  to  you, 
that  you  hate  Thugut,  and  that  you  desire  to  ruin  him !" 

"  I  swear  it  by  what  is  most  sacred  to  me, "  she  said,  solemnly  ; 
"  I  swear  it  by  your  love  1" 


216  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  That  is  the  best  and  most  unequivocal  oath,  and  I  will  believe 
you, "  said  Bonnier,  laughing. 

"Then  you  will  now  give  me  those  papers?"  she  asked. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  bluntly,  "I  will  give  them  to  you.  Come,  my 
angel,  you  are  right — let  us  first  speak  of  business  matters.  There, 
sit  down  here  at  my  desk.  Oh,  henceforth  this  spot  will  be  sacred 
to  me,  for  your  heavenly  person  has  consecrated  it.  Let  me  sit  down 
here  by  your  side,  and  thus  we  will  lay  our  dispatches  before  each 
other,  like  two  good  and  conscientious  diplomatists.  Look  here ! 
this  portfolio  contains  your  revenge  and  your  satisfaction.  This 
portfolio  contains  the  papers  proving  that  Thugut  has  received  large 
sums  of  money  from  Russia  and  England  for  the  purpose  of  insti- 
gating the  Emperor  of  Austria  against  France,  and  that  his  pre- 
tended patriotic  indignation  is  after  all  nothing  but  the  paid  rdle  of 
a  comedian.  I  have  abstracted  this  portfolio  from  the  archives  of 
our  embassy.  Do  you  understand  me,  Victoria?  I  have  stolen  it 
for  you !" 

"Let  me  see  the  papers!"  exclaimed  Victoria,  trembling  with 
impatience. 

Bonnier  opened  the  portfolio  and  drew  a  paper  from  it.  But  on 
looking  at  it,  a  dark  cloud  passed  over  his  face,  and  he  shook  his 
head  indignantly. 

"  What  a  miserable  fool  I  was  to  make  such  a  mistake  !"  he  ejacu- 
lated angrily.  "  I  have  taken  the  wrong  portfolio.  This  one  does 
not  contain  the  papers  you  are  looking  for. " 

"That  is,"  said  Victoria,  with  cutting  coldness — "that  is,  you 
have  intentionally  deceived  me.  You  decoyed  me  hither  under  false 
pretences.  You  told  me  a  story  about  important  papers  that  were  in 
your  possession,  and  with  which  you  were  to  intrust  me  for  the  pur- 
pose of  gratifying  my  revenge.  And  now  when  I  come  to  you, 
nobly  trusting  your  chivalrous  word,  now  it  turns  out  that  you  have 
deceived  me,  and  that  those  important  papers  do  not  exist  at  all. " 

"Ah,  believe  me,  there  are  papers  here  perhaps  even  more  im- 
portant than  the  documents  you  are  looking  for,"  said  Bonnier, 
shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  Believe  me,  Baron  Thugut  would  give 
many  thousands  if  he  could  get  hold  of  the  papers  contained  in  this 
portfolio.  They  are,  perhaps,  even  more  important  than  those  other 
documents. " 

A  flash  burst  forth  from  Victoria's  eyes,  and  the  angry  air  dis- 
appeared at  once  from  her  features.  She  turned  to  Bonnier  with  a 
fascinating  smile. 

"  What  sort  of  papers  are  those?"  she  asked. 

"  Papers  that  do  not  interest  you,  my  charming  fairy, "  he  said, 
smilingly  ;  "  for  what  have  love  and  revenge  to  do  with  the  negoti- 


RASTADT.  217 

ations  of  diplomacy?  This  portfolio  contains  only  diplomatic  docu- 
ments, only  the  secret  correspondence  between  ourselves  and  the 
Prussian  government,  and  the  negotiations  concerning  an  alliance 
between  France  and  Prussia — that  is  all.  They  do  not  interest  you, 
my  beautiful  Victoria,  but  Thugut  would  gladly  purchase  these  pa- 
pers for  those  which  you  are  so  anxious  to  obtain. " 

Victoria's  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  portfolio  with  a  glowing  ex- 
pression, and  her  hand  was  involuntarily  approaching  it.  Bonnier 
saw  it,  and  a  peculiar  smile  overspread  his  gloomy  face  for  a  moment. 

"Happy  for  me,"  he  said,  "that  I  discovered  my  mistake  before 
giving  you  the  portfolio.  The  loss  of  these  papers  would  have  com- 
promised me  irretrievably.  But  you  are  silent,  Victoria — you  do 
not  utter  a  word.  Then  you  do  not  yet  believe  in  the  truthfulness 
of  my  words  ?  I  swear  to  you,  my  fascinating  sorceress,  it  was  a 
mere  mistake — I  only  seized  the  wrong  portfolio. " 

"  Do  not  swear,  but  convince  me, "  said  Victoria.  "  Go  and  fetch 
the  other  portfolio. " 

"And  I  should  leave  you  here  all  alone  so  long?"  he  asked,  ten- 
derly. "  I  should  be  such  a  prodigal  as  to  squander  these  precious 
minutes  during  which  I  am  permitted  to  be  by  your  side  !" 

Victoria  rose  and  looked  at  him  with  flaming,  imperious  eyes. 

"  Fetch  the  papers, "  she  shouted,  "  or  I  leave  you  this  very  mo- 
ment, and  you  shall  never  see  me  again  !" 

"  That  is  a  word  by  which  you  would  drive  me  even  into  the  jaws 
of  hell !"  said  Bonnier,  ardently.  "  Wait  for  me  here,  Victoria — I 
am  going  for  the  papers. " 

He  greeted  her  with  a  rapid  nod,  and  placing  the  portfolio  under 
his  arm,  he  hastily  walked  to  the  door.  Here  he  turned  around 
toward  her  and  his  eyes  met  hers  steadfastly  fixed  upon  him. 

He  kissed  his  hand  to  her,  and  while  doing  so,  the  portfolio  softly 
glided  from  under  his  arm  and  fell  upon  the  floor.  Bonnier  took  no 
notice  of  it ;  his  whole  attention  was  riveted  on  the  beautiful  lady. 
But  she  saw  it,  and  her  eyes  sparkled  with  delight. 

"Return  as  soon  as  possible, "  she  said,  with  an  enchanting  smile, 
and  Bonnier  left  the  room.  She  anxiously  looked  after  him  until 
the  door  had  closed,  and  then  she  listened  to  the  sound  of  his  foot- 
steps. Now  the  latter  were  no  longer  audible,  and  every  thing  about 
her  was  silent. 

Victoria  did  not  stir ;  she  only  swept  with  her  large  eyes  search- 
ingly  over  the  whole  room  ;  she  fixed  them  upon  every  curtain,  upon 
every  piece  of  furniture.  But  nothing  was  there  to  arouse  her 
suspicions  ;  a  profound  stillness  reigned  around  her. 

Now  she  rose  slowly  from  her  seat  and  made  a  few  steps  forward. 
The  rustling  of  her  heavy  silk  dress  alone  interrupted  the  silence. 


218  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

She  paused  again  and  listened,  and  her  eyes  fixed  themselves 
longingly  upon  the  portfolio  lying  at  the  door.  Why  were  not  her 
eyes  endowed  with  the  power  of  a  loadstone  ?  Why  were  they  not 
able  to  attract  the  portfolio  to  her? 

The  portfolio  lay  there  quietly  and  immovably  ;  Victoria  vainly 
stretched  out  her  hands  toward  it — she  was  unable  to  reach  it. 

Once  more  she  impetuously  glanced  round  the  room ;  then  she 
bounded  forward  like  a  lioness  rushing  toward  her  prey. 

She  grasped  the  portfolio  and  raised  it  with  a  triumphant  smile. 
Her  small  hands  quickly  plunged  into  it  and  drew  forth  the  papers. 
There  were  but  a  few  letters,  and  besides  several  closely  written, 
pages.  Victoria  did  not  take  time  to  look  at  them ;  she  rapidly 
pushed  the  papers  into  the  pocket  of  her  dress,  and  arranged  the 
folds  of  the  latter  so  as  to  conceal  the  contents  of  her  pocket.  She 
then  closed  the  portfolio  and  replaced  it  on  the  floor,  precisely  on  the 
spot  where  Bonnier  had  dropped  it. 

Her  purpose  was  accomplished !  How  her  face  was  glowing  with 
delight  I  How  deep  a  blush  was  burning  on  her  cheeks  !  How  her 
eyes  were  sparkling  with  diabolic  exultation  ! 

With  light,  inaudible  steps  she  now  crossed  the  room  again,  and 
resumed  her  seat  at  the  desk.  And  it  was  fortunate  that  she  had 
done  so,  for  steps  were  approaching  in  the  adjoining  room ;  the  door 
opened,  and  Bonnier  entered. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

THE  JUSTIFICATION. 

BONNIER  paused  for  a  moment  on  the  threshold,  fixing  his  eyes  on 
Victoria,  who  greeted  him  with  a  sweet,  fascinating  smile.  But 
the  smile  disappeared  from  her  lips  when  she  beheld  the  threatening 
angry  glance  with  which  he  was  staring  at  her,  and  the  air  of 
gloomy  indignation  depicted  on  his  countenance.  She  might  be 
mistaken,  however,  and  perhaps  it  was  merely  the  anguish  of  her 
conscience  which  made  her  tremble. 

"And  you  bring  me  the  papers,  my  beloved  friend?"  asked  Vic- 
toria, with  an  air  of  fascinating  kindness. 

"  Yes, "  said  Bonnier,  still  remaining  on  the  threshold,  "  I  bring 
you  the  papers.  But  just  look  what  a  fool  love  has  made  of  me! 
For  your  sake,  I  forgot  the  portfolio  with  those  other  papers,  and 
dropped  it  on  the  floor  there.  Do  you  now  perceive  your  power  over 
me?  For  I  believe  I  told  you  that  the  loss  of  those  papers  would  ruin 
me  irretrievably." 


THE  JUSTIFICATION.  219 

"Yes,  you  told  me  so,"  said  Victoria,  smiling. 

"And  yet  I  forgot  them  here!"  exclaimed  Bonnier,  stooping  to 
pick  them  up.  But  Victoria  immediately  rose  and  hastened  to  him. 

"  To  punish  you  for  your  carelessness,  you  shall  now  leave  the 
portfolio  on  the  floor, "  she  said,  smiling ;  "  nor  shall  you  think  of  it 
again  as  long  as  I  am  with  you.  Tell  me,  will  that  be  too  hard  for 
you?" 

She  bent  her  beautiful  face  over  him,  and  with  flaming  glances 
looked  deeply  into  his  eyes. 

Bonnier  dropped  the  portfolio  again  and  smiled. 

"  It  may  lie  there, "  he  said  ;  "  it  has  performed  its  part  anyhow. 
And  now,  I  suppose,  we  will  talk  again  about  our  business?" 

"Yes,  we  will,"  replied  Victoria.     "Give  me  the  papers." 

"  No,  madame ;  no  one  gives  up  such  important  papers  without 
witnesses,"  said  Bonnier.  "Permit  me  therefore  to  call  my  wit- 
nesses. " 

He  hastily  turned  to  the  door  and  pushed  it  open. 

"  Come  in,  gentlemen !"  he  shouted,  and  his  two  colleagues, 
Roberjot  and  Debry,  immediately  appeared  on  the  threshold.  With- 
out greeting  Victoria,  merely  eyeing  her  with  cold,  contemptuous 
glances,  the  two  gentlemen  entered  and  walked  directly  to  the  desk. 
Bonnier  locked  the  door  and  put  the  key  into  his  pocket. 

Victoria  saw  it,  and  a  slight  pallor  overspread  her  rosy  face  for  a 
moment. 

"Will  you  tell  me,  sir,  what  all  this  means?"  she  asked,  in  a 
threatening  voice. 

"You  will  learn  it  directly,"  said  Bonnier.  "Please  sit  down 
again  in  your  arm-chair,  for  we  are  going  to  resume  our  diplomatic 
negotiations.  You,  gentlemen,  take  seats  on  both  sides  of  the  lady  ; 
I  shall  sit  down  opposite  her,  and  at  the  slightest  motion  she  makes, 
either  to  jump  out  of  the  window  there,  or  to  interrupt  us  by  an  ex- 
clamation, I  shall  shoot  her  as  sure  as  my  name  is  Bonnier  1" 

He  drew  a  pistol  from  his  bosom  and  cocked  it.  "  I  command 
you  to  be  silent  and  not  to  interrupt  us, "  he  said,  turning  to  Vic- 
toria. "  The  pistol  is  loaded,  and,  unless  you  respect  my  orders,  I 
will  most  certainly  inflict  upon  you  the  punishment  you  have  de- 
served ;  I  shall  take  your  life  like  that  of  any  other  spy  who  has  been 
caught  in  a  hostile  camp. " 

He  dropped  his  right  hand  with  the  pistol  on  the  table,  and  then 
turned  to  the  two  gentlemen,  who  had  listened  to  him  in  gloomy 
silence. 

"Yes,  my  friends, "  he  said,  throwing  back  his  head  in  order  to 
shake  away  his  long  black  hair,  surrounding  his  face  like  a  mane — 
"now,  my  friends,  I  beg  you  to  listen  to  my  justification.  You 


220  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

have  latterly  believed  me  to  be  a  fool,  a  prodigal  son  of  the  republic, 
who,  for  the  sake  of  a  miserable  love-affair  with  a  flirt,  neglected 
the  most  sacred  interests  of  his  country.  You  shall  see  and  ac- 
knowledge now  that,  while  I  seemed  to  be  lost,  I  was  only  working 
for  the  welfare  and  glory  of  our  great  republic,  and  that  this  woman 
with  her  beautiful  mask  did  not  make  me  forget  for  a  single  moment 
my  duties  to  my  countiy.  These  papers  contain  my  justification — 
these  papers,  madame,  with  which  you  hoped  to  revenge  yourself. 
Pardon  me,  my  fairy  queen,  I  have  made  another  mistake,  and 
again  brought  a  wrong  portfolio  ;  these  are  not  the  documents  either 
which  you  would  like  to  obtain.  Perhaps  they  are  after  all  in  the 
portfolio  lying  on  the  floor  there  1" 

He  looked  at  Victoria  with  a  scornful  smile ;  she  fixed  her  large 
eyes  steadfastly  upon  him  ;  not  a  muscle  of  her  face  was  twitching 
— not  the  slightest  anxiety  or  fear  was  depicted  on  her  features. 

Bonnier  opened  the  portfolio  and  drew  the  papers  from  it. 

"  I  shall  only  briefly  state  to  you  the  contents  of  those  papers, "  he 
said,  "  you  may  afterward  peruse  them  at  leisure.  This  first  paper 
is  a  letter  I  received  by  a  courier  from  Vienna,  without  knowing 
who  sent  it  to  me.  The  letter  only  contains  the  following  words  : 

" '  Be  on  your  guard.  A  very  dangerous  spy  will  be  sent  to  you 
— a  lady  who  is  the  most  intimate  friend  of  a  distinguished  states- 
man. Receive  her  well,  and  let  no  one  see  these  lines.  It  will  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  France. ' 

"  As  a  matter  of  course,  I  said  nothing  about  it,  not  even  to  you, 
my  friends ;  I  was  silent,  and  waited  for  further  developments. 
Two  days  later  I  received  this  second  paper.  It  was  a  note  from  a 
lady,  who  wrote  to  me  that  she  had  just  arrived  at  Rastadt,  and  was 
very  anxious  to  see  me,  but  under  the  seal  of  the  most  profound 
secrecy.  I  followed  the  invitation,  and  repaired  to  the  designated 
house.  I  found  there  this  lady,  who  introduced  herself  to  me  as 
Madame  Victoria  de  Poutet ;  and  if  you  now  look  at  her  you  will  com- 
prehend why  that  refined  half-Turk  Thugut,  as  well  as  the  mad  rake 
Count  Lehrbach,  are  both  in  love  with  her,  for  she  is  more  beautiful 
than  the  loveliest  odalisque  and  the  most  fascinating  Phryne  !" 

The  three  men  fixed  their  eyes  upon  Victoria,  and  ogled  her  with 
an  impudent  leer.  Victoria  sat  erect  and  immovable,  and  even  her 
eye-lashes  did  not  move  ;  she  apparently  did  not  see  the  glances  fixed 
upon  her  ;  nor  even  heard  what  Bonnier  had  said  about  her,  for  her 
countenance  remained  calm  and  almost  smiling. 

Bonnier  continued  :  "  The  lady  told  me  a  very  pretty  little  story, 
the  particulars  of  which  I  shall  not  relate  to  you.  In,  short,  Thugut 
had  attacked  her  innocence  and  her  honor — her  innocence  and  her 
honor,  do  not  forget  that ! — and  she  wanted  to  revenge  herself  upon 


THE  JUSTIFICATION.  221 

him.  She  asked  me  to  lend  her  my  assistance  for  this  purpose.  I 
feigned  to  believe  every  thing  she  told  me,  and  promised  to  protect 
her. 

"  This  third  paper  here  I  f ound  on  my  desk  on  returning  home 
from  my  visit  to  the  lady.  A  stranger  had  delivered  it.  It  was 
written  by  the  same  man  who  had  addressed  the  first  letter  to  me. 
It  read  as  follows  :  '  A  romance  is  to  be  played  with  you  ;  let  them 
proceed  without  interfering  with  their  doings.  The  fascination  of 
beauty  is  very  powerful,  and  the  lady  is  going  to  fascinate  you,  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  important  papers  from  you.  Pretend  to 
be  fascinated,  and  you  will  penetrate  the  intrigue. ' 

"The  advice  was  good,  and  I  followed  it.  I  feigned  to  be  fasci- 
nated ;  I  played  the  enthusiastic  lover  of  this  lady  ;  and  although  I 
doubtless  acted  my  part  in  a  very  clumsy  manner,  she  was  kind 
enough  to  believe  me ;  for  she  is  well  aware  that  no  one  is  able  to 
withstand  the  power  of  her  beauty.  But  in  order  to  perform  my 
role  in  a  really  truthful  manner,  not  only  Madame  de  Poutet,  but 
also  all  Rastadt,  had  to  be  convinced  of  my  ardent  love  for  her,  for 
Victoria  is  very  shrewd ;  Thugut  has  educated  a  worthy  pupil  in 
her.  Hence  I  had  to  wear  the  mask  of  my  love  everywhere,  even 
before  you,  my  friends.  I  had  to  make  up  my  mind  to  pass  for  a 
fool  until  I  was  able  to  prove  to  you  that  I  was  a  man  of  sense  ;  I 
had  to  wear  my  mask  until  I  was  able  to  tear  this  woman's  mask 
from  her  face.  Oh,  I  assure  you,  it  is  not  an  easy  task  to  be  this 
lady's  lover  !  She  demands  a  great  deal  of  courting,  a  great  deal  of 
ardor,  a  great  deal  of  passion  ;  she  has  got  very  warm  blood  herself, 
and,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  she  is  a  great-granddaughter  of  that 
beautiful  Roman  lady,  Messalina. " 

Now,  for  the  first  time,  a  slight  tremor  pervaded  Victoria's 
frame,  and  a  deep  blush  suffused  her  cheeks.  But  this  lasted  only  a 
moment,  and  then  she  sat  again  quite  erect  and  immovable. 

"  In  spite  of  the  difficulty  of  your  task,  you  have  played  your  part 
in  a  masterly  manner, "  said  Jean  Debry,  in  a  rude  and  stern  voice. 
"All  of  us  believed  you  were  in  love,  and  this  modern  Messalina 
certainly  did  not  doubt  it,  either. " 

"  No,  she  did  not  doubt  it, "  said  Bonnier,  with  a  disdainful  smile. 
"  She  surrounded  herself  with  spies,  who  had  to  watch  me,  but  fortu- 
nately I  knew  them,  and  did  not  betray  myself. " 

"How  did  you  know  them?"  asked  Roberjot. 

"  My  unknown  correspondent  pointed  them  out  to  me.  He  had 
given  up  his  incognito,  and  came  to  me,  satisfying  me  of  his  iden- 
tity by  writing  a  few  lines,  which  proved  him  to  be  the  author  of 
the  two  previous  letters.  He  offered  for  a  brilliant  compensation  to 
assist  me  in  unravelling  the  intrigue,  and  I  promised  him  fire 


222  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

thousand  francs.  He  was  one  of  our  most  astute  and  skilful  spies, 
and  he  wanted  this  affair  to  be  his  masterpiece,  in  order  to  obtain 
from  me  a  recommendation  to  General  Bonaparte,  who  has  just 
returned  from  Egypt.  I  shall  give  him  to-day  the  promised  sum 
and  the  recommendation,  for  he  has  honestly  earned  both,  and  faith- 
fully assisted  me  in  unmasking  this  woman.*  I  received  every 
morning  a  written  report  from  him  about  every  thing  Madame  Poutet 
had  done  during  the  previous  day.  All  these  reports  are  in  this 
portfolio,  and  you  will  examine  them,  my  friends.  You  will  see 
from  them  that  Madame  Victoria,  who  had  come  to  me  in  order  to 
revenge  herself  upon  Thugut,  nevertheless  kept  up  a  good  under- 
standing with  his  most  intimate  friend,  Count  Lehrbach,  for  every 
night,  as  soon  as  I  had  left  Victoria,  the  noble  count  repaired  to  her 
house  and  spent  several  hours  with  her,  although  Victoria  had  as- 
Bured  me  Count  Lehrbach  did  not  even  suspect  her  presence  at 
Rastadt.  However,  there  was  a  possibility  that  my  spy  was  de- 
ceiving me  just  as  well  as  he  had  deceived  Madame  de  Poutet.  In 
order  to  ascertain  that,  I  informed  Victoria  one  evening  that  a 
courier  would  set  out  for  Paris  in  the  morning,  and  forward  to  the 
Directory  papers  of  the  highest  importance,  concerning  an  alliance 
with  Russia.  We  sent  a  courier  to  Paris  in  the  morning,  but  not 
far  from  Rastadt  he  was  arrested  by  Austrian  hussars,  robbed  of  his 
papers,  and  taken  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Austrian  Colonel  Bar- 
baczy,  at  Gernsbach,  although  our  courier  was  provided  with  a 
French  passport  and  an  official  badge,  enabling  him  fully  to  prove 
that  he  was  in  our  service,  "f 

"This  was  an  unheard-of  violation  of  international  law,  for 
which  we  have  vainly  sought  redress, "  said  Jean  Debry,  gloomily. 
"  These  German  cowards  are  not  even  courageous  enough  to  acknowl- 
edge their  own  acts.  They  deny  having  robbed  our  courier,  but 
they  cannot  deny  having  imprisoned  him,  contrary  to  international 
law." 

"  Just  as  little  as  Victoria  can  deny  that  she  was  the  person  who 
had  informed  Lehrbach  and  Barbaczy  of  the  courier's  departure, " 
said  Bonnier ;  "  for,  fifteen  minutes  before  setting  out,  the  courier 
himself  did  not  know  any  thing  about  his  mission ;  and  the  dis- 
patches, of  course,  were  of  the  most  harmless  description.  But  my 
pretty  lady-bird  there  had  gone  into  the  trap  I  had  set  for  her,  and 

*  This  spy  was  the  famous  Schulmeister,  afterward  Bonaparte's  most  adroit  and 
intrepid  spy.  He  boasted  of  the  role  he  had  played  at  Rastadt,  aud  which  had 
brought  him  double  pay ;  first  from  Count  Lehrbach,  whom  he  had  informed  that 
there  were  important  papers  in  the  hands  of  the  French,  and  then  from  the  French 
ambassadors,  whom  he  had  cautioned  against  Count  Lehrbach,  and  given  the  ad- 
vice to  burn  their  papers  and  to  be  on  their  guard. 

t  Historical. 


.    THE  JUSTIFICATION.  223 

I  kept  her  in  it  without  her  knowing  any  thing  about  it.  She  was 
quite  unsuspecting,  and,  thanks  to  my  talents  as  a  comedian,  and  to 
my  love,  I  finally  found  out  the  real  purpose  of  her  visit  to  Rastadt. 
Yesterday  I  promised  her  to  deliver  to  her  to-day  the  papers  that 
endanger  Thugut's  position  at  the  head  of  the  Austrian  government, 
and  prove  him  to  be  a  hireling  of  England.  In  the  evening  Count 
Lehrbach  sent  a  courier  to  Vienna ;  then  we  retaliated,  caused  the 
courier  to  be  arrested  and  took  his  papers  from  him.  He  had,  how- 
ever, only  a  small  note,  addressed  to  Minister  Thugut.  Here  it  is. 
It  contains  only  the  following  words  : 
'I  shall  get  the  papers  to-morrow. 

'VICTORIA.' 

But  these  words  were  written  by  the  beautiful  hand  of  the  same 
lady  who  latterly  had  penned  so  many  tender  love-letters  to  myself. 
I  had  promised  her  those  papers  if  she  would  call  for  them  to-day, 
and  you  see,  my  friends,  that  she  has  come.  But  I  desired  to  know 
if  this  really  was  the  only  object  for  which  Baron  Thugut  had  sent 
his  most  beautiful  and  sagacious  agent  to  Rastadt,  or  if  there  were 
not  some  secondary  objects  at  the  bottom  of  this  mission.  I  there- 
fore resolved  to  ascertain  this  to-day.  My  astute  spy  had  told  me 
that  Madame  de  Poutet  was  also  anxious  to  get  hold  of  some  other 
important  papers.  I  therefore  feigned  to-day  to  have  abstracted  the 
wrong  papers  and  to  have  brought  here  a  portfolio  containing  our 
correspondence  with  the  Prussian  minister  and  documents  in  rela- 
tion to  an  alliance  between  France  and  Prussia.  I  told  my  fair 
friend  that  the  loss  of  these  papers  would  ruin  me  irretrievably,  and 
yet  I  was  such  a  love-sick  fool  as  to  drop  the  portfolio  with  the  pa- 
pers while  engaged  in  tenderly  kissing  my  hand  to  my  dulcinea. 
Look,  gentlemen,  the  portfolio  is  yet  lying  on  the  floor,  but  the 
papers  are  no  longer  in  it.  They  are  carefully  concealed  in  Madame 
Victoria's  pocket.  Oh,  it  was  a  very  pretty  scene,  when  she  stole 
them.  I  watched  her  through  a  small  hole  which  I  had  bored 
through  the  door  this  morning,  and  through  which  I  could  plainly 
see  every  motion  of  my  beautiful  Victoria.  Yes,  my  beautiful  Vic- 
toria stole  the  papers,  although  she  knew  that  this  loss  would  seri- 
ously embarrass  me.  However,  my  friends,  it  will  be  unnecessary 
for  the  republic  to  punish  me  for  this  theft  Madame  de  Poutet  has 
committed,  for  the  papers  she  has  got  in  her  pocket  are  nothing  but 
the  faithful  diary  of  my  daily  intercourse  with  Victoria  de  Poutet. 
I  have  carefully  noted  in  it  every  conversation  I  had  with  her,  and 
every  favor  she  granted  to  me,  and  I  have  no  objection  whatever  to 
this  diary  being  transmitted  to  Minister  Thugut.  If  he  is  not  jeal- 
ous, he  will  not  complain  of  it.  And  now  I  am  through  with  my 
justification,  and  I  ask  you,  did  I  not  act  as  a  good  and  faithful  son 


224  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

of  the  republic  should?  Have  I  done  my  duty?  Will  the  country 
be  content  with  me?" 

"  Yes, "  said  Roberjot,  solemnly,  "  you  have  acted  as  a  good  and 
faithful  son  of  the  republic.  You  have  intrepidly  followed  the 
enemy  who  had  approached  you  on  secret  paths,  into  his  hiding- 
places,  and  you  have  skilfully  exposed  the  perfidious  intrigues  he  had 
carried  on  against  France.  You  have  done  your  duty. " 

"  Yes,  the  republic  will  thank  you  for  your  zeal, "  exclaimed  Jean 
Debry ;  "  you  have  run  great  risks  for  her  sake.  For  a  beautiful, 
voluptuous,  and  intriguing  woman  is  even  more  dangerous  than  a 
venomous  serpent.  Like  St.  Anthony,  you  have  withstood  the 
temptress  by  praying  to  our  holy  mother,  the  great  French  Republic  ! 
Yes,  the  country  will  be  content  with  you. " 

"  I  thank  you,  my  friends, "  said  Bonnier,  with  a  happy  smile ; 
"  I  now  stand  again  before  you  with  a  clear  conscience,  and  without 
a  blush  of  shame  on  my  cheeks.  You  have  accepted  my  atonement. 
As  for  this  woman,  we  will  inflict  no  further  punishment  on  her. 
She  was  only  a  tool  in  Thugut's  hands  ;  that  was  all.  This  hour  has 
punished  her  sufficiently,  and  our  profound  contempt  shall  be  the 
only  penalty  she  will  take  away  with  her. " 

"  Yes,  our  profound  contempt  shall  be  the  penalty  she  will  take 
with  her,"  exclaimed  Roberjot  and  Jean  Debry  at  the  same  time. 

"  There  is  nothing  more  disgraceful  under  the  sun  than  a  woman 
who  sells  her  charms, "  said  Roberjot. 

"  There  is  nothing  more  dreadful  and  dishonorable  than  an  ambi- 
tious and  heartless  wanton !"  added  Jean  Debry,  in  a  voice  of  pro- 
found disdain. 

"  Victoria  de  Poutet, "  said  Bonnier,  throwing  the  pistol  aside, 
"every  thing  between  us  was  a  comedy,  even  this  pistol,  the  pre- 
tended bullet  of  which  frightened  and  silenced  you.  It  was  not 
loaded.  The  comedy  is  now  at  an  end,  and  there  remains  nothing 
for  you  but  to  go  to  your  stage-manager  and  to  tell  him  that  you 
utterly  failed  in  performing  your  part.  You  may  go  now  ;  nothing 
further  detains  you  here. " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon, "  said  Victoria,  in  a  perfectly  calm  and  so- 
norous voice ;  "  you  forget  that  you  put  the  key  of  the  door  into  your 
pocket ;  go,  therefore,  and  unlock  it. " 

She  pointed  at  the  door  with  an  imperious  gesture,  and  Bonnier 
went  to  unlock  it.  Victoria,  remaining  still  erect  and  calm  in  her 
arm-chair,  looked  at  him  while  he  was  doing  so,  and  only  when 
Bonnier  had  opened  the  door  and  returned  to  the  table,  she  rose 
slowly  from  her  seat. 

Now  she  stood  there,  drawing  herself  up  to  her  full  height,  her 
face  glowing  with  indignation,  a  deep  blush  mantling  her  cheeks, 


THE  JUSTIFICATION.  225 

a  disdainful  smile  playing  on  the  slightly  parted  lips,  the  expansive 
white  forehead  deeply  wrinkled,  as  cold  as  marble,  and  yet  conceal- 
ing under  this  marble  surface  a  torrent  of  molten  lava,  which,  as 
soon  as  it  should  burst  forth,  could  not  but  produce  death  and  de- 
struction. Hers  was  now  a  diabolic  beauty,  and  when  she  turned 
her  eyes  toward  the  three  republicans,  they  glistened  like  dagger- 
points. 

" I  have  to  make  but  a  brief  reply  to  M.  Bonnier's  long  speech," 
she  said,  proudly  and  calmly.  "  This  is  my  answer :  I  shall  obtain 
those  papers  in  spite  of  you,  and  I  shall  revenge  myself  for  this 
hour  I  To  your  last  high-sounding  sentences,  I  answer  by  another 
sentence  :  there  is  nothing  more  dangerous  than  an  irritated  and  in- 
sulted woman,  for  she  will  revenge  herself  and  imbrue  her  hands  in 
the  blood  of  those  who  have  insulted  her.  Roberjot,  Bonnier,  and 
Debry,  you  have  insulted  me,  and  I  tell  you  I  shall  revenge  myself. 
Before  three  times  three  days  have  passed,  you  will  have  atoned 
with  your  blood  for  this  hour,  and  may  God  have  mercy  on  your 
poor  souls !" 

She  greeted  all  of  them  with  a  haughty  nod,  and  slowly  turning 
around,  she  proudly  crossed  the  room.  The  three  men  looked  at  her 
with  pale  and  gloomy  faces,  and  a  slight  shudder  pervaded  for  a 
moment  the  hearts  of  the  republicans,  usually  so  bold  and  un- 
daunted. 

"  She  looked  like  an  evil  demon  predicting]  our  future !"  mur- 
mured Roberjot. 

"  She  will  fulfil  her  word ;  she  will  try  to  assassinate  us, "  said 
Bonnier.  "  Did  you  not  see  it?  Her  eyes  were  moist ;  no  tears  were 
glistening  in  them,  however,  only  the  venom  she  will  discharge  at 
us.  Let  us  be  on  our  guard  !" 

"Yes,  let  us  beware  of  the  serpent's  venom!"  exclaimed  Jean 
Debry,  with  gloomy  energy — "  let  us  beware,  and  most  of  all,  let  us 
be  men  who  cannot  be  intimidated  by  the  furious  threats  of  a 
woman. " 

But  Jean  Debry  knew  neither  the  energy  nor  the  power  of  this 
woman  whose  threats  he  despised.  He  did  not  know  that,  her  anger 
once  aroused,  she  would  not  rest  until  she  had  taken  her  revenge. 
Late  in  the  evening  of  that  day,  when  all  Rastadt  was  sleeping, 
Victoria  received  in  her  house  her  two  powerful  assistants,  Count 
Lehrbach  and  Colonel  Barbaczy,  the  latter  having  been  invited  by  a 
mounted  messenger  to  come  to  her  from  Gemsbach. 

A  long  and  portentous  conference  these  three  persons  held  in  the 
course  of  that  night,  during  which  they  consulted  about  the  best 
way  to  punish  the  French  ambassadors,  and  to  take  from  them  the 
papers  which  Thugut  wished  to  obtain. 


226  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA 

"  We  must  have  those  papers  at  any  price  I"  exclaimed  Victoria, 
with  flashing  eyes. 

"  Oh,  it  will  only  cost  a  little  blood !"  shouted  Count  Lehrbach, 
in  a  hollow  voice,  and  laughing  hoarsely.  "These  overbearing 
French  have  trampled  us  under  foot  for  two  long  years,  and  tor- 
mented us  by  pricking  us  with  pins.  Now  we  will  also  trample 
them  under  foot  and  prick  them,  and  if  our  pins  are  longer  than 
theirs,  who  will  complain?" 

"  Thugut  wants  those  papers,  and  he  has  forgiven  us  in  advance  if 
they  should  be  a  little  blood-stained,"  said  Victoria,  looking  up 
smilingly  to  old  Colonel  Barbaczy,  who,  with  his  hands  folded  on 
his  back,  his  large  shaggy  eyebrows  gloomily  contracted,  was  slowly 
pacing  the  room. 

"Barbaczy  !  Barbaczy !"  he  muttered,  in  a  low  voice,  "what  will 
the  world  say  of  your  old  head?"* 

"The  world  will  not  grudge  these  hot-blooded  French  a  little 
blood-letting,  and  it  will  praise  your  surgical  skill,  my  dear  Bar- 
baczy,"  exclaimed  Lehrbach,  laughing.  "The  responsibility,  be- 
sides, does  not  fall  on  your  shoulders.  Who  will  blame  you  if  your 
hot-blooded  hussars  commit  some  excesses — some  highway  robberies? 
Yoii  do  not  order  them  to  assassinate  anybody  ;  you  only  order  them 
to  take  the  papers  from  the  ambassadors,  and  only  to  use  force  if  it 
cannot  be  helped. " 

"I  shall  send  fifty  hussars  to  the  city  to-morrow,"  said  Barbaczy, 
thoughtfully.  "  They  shall  encamp  in  front  of  the  Ettlinger  Gate, 
so  that  no  one,  whosoever  it  may  be,  will  be  able  to  cross  the  bridges 
connecting  the  city  with  the  suburbs  without  passing  through  their 
ranks. " 

Victoria  approached  him,  and  laying  her  hands  on  his  shoul- 
ders, she  looked  up  to  him  with  a  fascinating  smile. 

"  And  you  will  send  some  of  your  most  intrepid  hussars  to  Lehr- 
bach and  to  me,  that  we  may  tell  the  brave  men  what  rewards  are 
in  store  for  them  if  they  perform  their  duty  in  a  satisfactory  man- 
ner? No,  my  beautiful  god  of  war,  do  not  shake  your  silvery  locks 
BO  wildly — do  not  threaten  me  with  your  frowning  brow !  Think  of 
Gurgewo,  my  friend  !  Do  you  remember  what  you  swore  to  me  at 
that  time  in  the  trenches  when  I  dressed  with  my  own  hands  the 
wound  for  which  you  were  indebted  to  a  Turkish  sabre?  Do  you 
remember  that  you  swore  to  me  at  that  time  you  would  reciprocate 
my  service  as  soon  as  it  was  in  your  power?" 

"  I  know  it,  and  I  am  ready  to  fulfil  my  oath, "  said  Barbaczy, 
heaving  a  sigh. 

*  Barbaczy's  own  words.— Vide  " Literarischer  Lodiacus."     Edited  by  Theod. 
Mundt,  1836.    Third  number,  p.  206. 


THE  JUSTIFICATION.  227 

"Well,  my  friend,  all  I  ask  is  this :  send  to-morrow  six  of  your 
bravest  and  wildest  hussars  to  my  house,  and  order  them  faithfully 
to  carry  out  what  Count  Lehrbach  and  I  shall  tell  them. " 

"  The  hussars  shall  halt  at  your  door  to-morrow  morning  at  nine 
o'clock, "  said  Barbaczy,  resolutely. 

"  And  I  will  admit  them  !"  exclaimed  Victoria,  smiling.  "  You 
will  be  here,  Count  Lehrbach,  I  suppose?" 

"  I  shall  be  here  in  order  to  listen  to  the  wise  lessons  which  the 
goddess  Victoria  will  teach  the  sons  of  Mars,"  replied  Lehrbach, 
fixing  his  small,  squinting  eyes  with  an  admiring  air  on  Victoria's 
beautiful  face.  "  You  will  need  no  other  means  but  your  smiles  and 
your  beauty  in  order  to  inspire  those  brave  soldiers  with  the  most 
dauntless  heroism.  Who  would  not  be  willing  to  shed  a  little 
French  blood,  if  your  lips  should  promise  him  a  reward?" 

"And  what  reward  are  you  going  to  promise  to  the  soldier?" 
asked  Barbaczy,  turning  to  Madame  de  Poutet.  "What  are  you 
going  to  ask  them  to  do?" 

"  Only  to  seize  all  the  papers  of  the  ambassadors, "  said  Victoria. 

"And  to  examine  their  bodies  if  any  papers  should  be  concealed 
there, "  added  Count  Lehrbach,  laughing. 

"  And  their  reward  shall  be  that  the  hussars  will  be  allowed  to 
look  for  some  other  spoils, "  said  Victoria. 

"  Highway  robbery  and  murder,  then, "  sighed  Barbaczy,  "  and  per- 
petrated by  soldiers  of  my  regiment !  Highway  robbery  and  murder  !" 

"Fie,  what  ugly  words  those  are!  and  who  thinks  of  murder?" 
exclaimed  Victoria.  "  Did  we  Germans  die,  then,  of  the  numerous 
kicks  and  blows  which  the  French  have  given  us  for  the  last  few 
years?  We  will  only  return  those  kicks  and  blows,  and  the  French 
will  assuredly  not  be  so  thin-skinned  as  to  die  of  them  on  the  spot. " 

"  Do  as  you  please, "  sighed  Barbaczy.  "  Count  Lehrbach  has  the 
right  to  issue  orders  to  myself  and  to  my  troops,  and  I  owe  you  the 
fulfilment  of  my  oath.  My  hussars  will  occupy  the  city  to-morrow, 
and  I  shall  order  the  French  ambassadors  to  depart  forthwith. 
What  is  to  be  done  after  their  departure  you  may  settle  with  the  hus- 
sars I  shall  send  to  you.  I  shall  take  no  notice  of  it. " 

"And  that  is  a  very  wise  resolution  of  yours,  colonel, "  said  Lehr- 
bach. " '  To  know  too  much  gives  us  the  headache, '  says  our  gracious 
emperor,  whenever  he  returns  the  dispatches  to  Baron  Thugut  with- 
out having  read  them.  Send  us,  then,  your  hussars  to-morrow,  and 
whatever  may  happen,  colonel,  we  shall  not  betray  each  other. " 

"No,  we  shall  not  betray  each  other  1"  repeated  Victoria  and  Bar- 
baczy, with  uplifted  hands. 

"To-morrow,  then  1"  said  Victoria.  "Now,  good-night,  gentle- 
men !" 


228  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

CHAPTER   XXIX\ 

THE  ASSASSINATION. 

EARLY  on  the  next  day  a  strange  and  exciting  report  pervaded 
the  city  of  Rastadt.  Austrian  regiments  were  encamped  all  round 
the  city,  and  Sczekler  hussars  held  all  the  gates.  This  was  the  re- 
port which  filled  with  astonishment  and  terror  all  those  who  were 
not  initiated  into  the  secrets  of  the  political  situation,  and  who  were 
not  familiar  with  the  condition  of  the  negotiations  between  France 
and  Germany.  For,  by  surrounding  the  city  with  troops,  in  spite 
of  the  presence  of  the  French  ambassadors,  Austria  openly  violated 
the  treaty  stipulating  that,  until  the  congress  had  adjourned  sine 
die,  neither  German  nor  French  troops  should  approach  the  city 
within  a  circuit  of  three  German  miles. 

It  was  reported,  too — what  the  ambassadors  as  yet  remaining  in 
Rastadt  had  carefully  concealed  up  to  this  time — that  the  imperial 
ambassador,  Count  Metternich,  had  quietly  left  the  city  several 
days  before,  and  that  the  peace  commissioners  of  the  empire  had  the 
day  previous  suspended  their  official  functions. 

Congress  had  then  dissolved  ;  the  peace  commissioners  of  France 
and  Germany  had  been  in  session  for  two  years  without  accomplish- 
ing their  task,  and  the  situation  looked  as  ominous  and  warlike  as 
ever. 

Every  one  resolved  to  depart ;  every  trunk  was  being  packed, 
every  carriage  drawn  forth  from  its  shed.  The  French  actors  and 
ballet-dancers  had  fled  from  Rastadt  several  weeks  before  at  the  first 
rude  blast  of  the  approaching  storm,  like  rats  leaving  a  sinking 
ship.  The  sounds  of  joy  and  mirth  had  died  away,  and  everywhere 
only  grave  and  gloomy  words  were  heard,  only  sorrowful  and  down- 
cast faces  met. 

Every  one,  as  we  stated  above,  was  preparing  to  set  out,  and  the 
French  ambassadors,  too,  were  going  to  leave  Rastadt  to-day,  the 
twenty-eighth  of  April.  Their  carriages  were  ready  for  them  early 
in  the  morning  in  the  courtyard  of  the  castle,  when,  all  at  once, 
some  footmen  of  the  embassy,  with  pale,  frightened  faces,  rushed 
into  the  castle  and  reported  that  Austrian  hussars  were  posted  at  the 
gates  and  refused  to  allow  any  one  to  leave  or  enter  the  city.  Even 
the  commander  of  Rastadt,  an  officer  of  the  Duke  of  Baden,  had  not 
been  permitted  by  the  hussars  to  ride  out  of  the  gate.  He  had  been 
compelled  to  return  to  his  headquarters.* 

*  Historical.— Vide  "Gehelme  Geschichte  der  Rastatter  Friedensverhandlungen 
in  Verbindung  mil  den  Staatehandelndieser  Zeit.11    Von  einem  Schweizer,  part  vi. 


THE  ASSASSINATION.  229 

"  But  we  will  not  allow  them  to  prevent  us  from  leaving  Rastaclt, " 
said  Roberjot,  resolutely.  "They  will  not  dare  to  interfere  with 
the  departure  of  the  representatives  of  the  French  Republic !" 

"The  republic  would  take  bloody  revenge  for  such  an  outrage, 
and  these  Germans  are  afraid  of  the  anger  of  the  republic  1"  ex- 
claimed Jean  Debry,  haughtily. 

Bonnier  violently  shook  his  black  mane,  and  a  gloomy  cloud 
settled  on  his  brow. 

"Barbaczy's  hussars  are  encamped  in  front  of  the  gates,  and  Vic- 
toria de  Poutet  last  night  had  another  interview  with  Lehrbach  and 
Barbaczy, "  he  said.  "  If,  like  both  of  you,  I  had  a  wife  and  chil- 
dren with  me,  I  should  not  dare  to  depart  without  further  guaran- 
ties." 

At  this  moment  the  door  opened,  and  a  footman  handed  Roberjot 
a  letter  that  had  just  arrived  from  the  Prussian  ambassador,  Count 
Goertz. 

Roberjot  opened  the  letter  and  glanced  over  it.  "  The  guaranties 
you  referred  to,  Bonnier,  will  soon  be  here, "  he  said,  smiling.  "  It 
seems  the  German  ambassadors  are  sharing  your  apprehensions. 
They  have  drawn  up  a  joint  letter  to  Colonel  Barbaczy,  requiring 
him  to  give  them  a  written  pledge  that  there  would  be  no  interfer- 
ence with  the  free  departure  of  the  French  ambassadors,  and  that 
the  safety  of  the  latter  would  not  be  endangered.  Count  Goertz, 
therefore,  requests  us  not  to  set  out  until  a  written  reply  has  been 
made  to  the  letter  of  the  ambassadors.  Shall  we  delay  our  departure 
until  then?" 

"  We  will, "  said  Bonnier ;  "  you  will  not  derogate  from  your  re- 
publican dignity  by  consulting  the  safety  of  your  wives  and  chil- 
dren. I  may  say  that,  inasmuch  as  I  have  to  take  care  of  no  one  but 
myself,  and  as  I  know  that  no  care  would  be  of  any  avail  in  my 
case. " 

"What  do  you  mean,  my  friend?"  asked  Jean  Debry. 

"  I  mean  that  I  shall  die  to-day, "  said  Bonnier,  solemnly. 

Roberjot  turned  pale.  "  Hush, "  he  whispered ;  "  let  us  say1  noth- 
ing about  this  matter  to  the  women.  My  wife  had  a  bad  dream  last 
night ,  she  saw  me  weltering  in  my  gore  and  covered  with  wounds, 
and  she  asserts  that  her  dreams  are  always  fulfilled. " 

"  Roberjot,  Bonnier,  and  Debry,  may  God  have  mercy  on  your 
poor  souls !"  muttered  Bonnier,  in  a  low  voice. 

"  I  do  not  believe  in  dreams !"  said  Jean  Debry,  with  a  loud, 
forced  laugh,  "and  besides,  my  wife  has  had  no  bad  dream  what- 
ever, and  not  been  warned  by  fate.  Come,  let  us  go  to  our  ladies 
who  are  already  clad  in  their  travelling-dresses.  Let  us  tell  them 
that  we  shall,  perhaps,  be  compelled  to  wait  a  few  hours. " 


230  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

But  several  hours  elapsed,  and  the  messenger  the  German  ambas- 
sadors had  sent  to  Colonel  Barbaczy's  headquarters  did  not  return. 
Nearly  all  of  the  German  ambassadors  made  their  appearance  at  the 
castle  in  order  to  express  to  the  representatives  of  the  French  repub- 
lic their  astonishment  and  profound  indignation  at  this  disrespectful 
delay,  and  to  implore  them  not  to  set  out  until  the  message  had 
arrived. 

The  French  ambassadors  themselves  were  undecided  and  gloomy  ; 
their  ladies  were  pacing  the  rooms  with  sad  faces  and  tearful  eyes. 
Every  one  was  in  the  most  painful  and  anxious  state  of  mind. 

The  whole  day  passed  in  this  manner,  and  night  set  in  when 
finally  the  messenger  whom  the  ambassadors  had  sent  to  Colonel 
Barbaczy,  returned  to  Rastadt.  But  he  did  not  bring  the  expected 
written  reply  of  the  colonel.  In  its  place,  an  Austrian  officer  of 
hussars  made  his  appearance ;  he  repaired  to  the  Prussian  Count 
Goertz,  at  whose  house  the  other  ambassadors  were  assembled,  and 
brought  him  a  verbal  reply  from  Count  Barbaezy.  The  colonel  ex- 
cused himself  for  not  sending  a  written  answer,  stating  that  a  press- 
ure of  business  prevented  him  from  so  doing.  He  at  the  same  time 
assured  the  count  and  the  ambassadors^that  the  French  ministers 
could  safely  depart,  and  that  he  would  give  them  twenty-four  hours 
for  this  purpose.* 

The  officer  brought,  however,  an  autograph  letter  from  Barbaczy 
to  the  French  ministers,  and  he  repaired  to  the  castle  in  order  to 
deliver  it  to  them. 

This  letter  from  Barbaczy  contained  the  following  lines  : 

"  MINISTERS  :  You  will  understand  that  no  French  citizens  can 
be  tolerated  within  the  positions  occupied  by  the  Austrian  forces. 
You  will  not  be  surprised,  therefore,  that  I  am  obliged  to  request 
you,  ministers,  to  leave  Rastadt  within  twenty-four  hours. 

"BARBACZY,  Colonel." 

"Gernsbach,  April  28,  1799.  "f 

"  Well,  what  are  we  to  do?"  asked  Roberjot,  when  the  officer  had 
left  them. 

"  We  will  set  out, "  said  Jean  Debry,  impetuously. 

"  Yes,  we  will  set  out, "  exclaimed  his  beautiful  young  wife,  en- 
circling him  with  her  arms.  "The  air  here,  it  seems  tome,  smells 
of  blood  and  murder ;  and  every  minute's  delay  redoubles  our 
danger. " 

"Poor  wife,  did  they  infect  you,  too,  already  with  their  evil 
forebodings  and  dreams'/1"  said  Jean  Debry,  tenderly  pressing  his 

*  Vide  Dohm,  nach  seinern  Wollen  und  Handeln,  von  Gronau,  p.  600. 
t  Dohm  preserved  a  copy  of  this  letter.— Ibid. 


THE  ASSASSINATION.  231 

wife  to  his  heart.  HJod  forbid  that  they  should  endanger  a  single 
hair  of  your  dear,  beautiful  head !  I  am  not  afraid  for  myself,  but 
for  the  sake  of  my  wife  and  of  my  two  little  daughters.  For  you 
and  for  our  friends  here  I  would  like  to  choose  the  best  and  most 
prudent  course. " 

"  Let  us  set  out, "  said  Madame  Roberjot ;  "  the  terrible  dream 
last  night  was  intended  to  give  us  warning.  Death  threatens  us  if 
we  remain  here  any  longer.  Oh,  my  husband,  I  love  nothing  on 
earth  but  you  alone  ;  you  are  my  love  and  my  happiness  !  I  would 
die  of  a  broken  heart  if  I  should  lose  you !  But  no,  no,  not  lose ! 
We  live  and  die  together.  He  who  kills  you  must  also  take  my 
life !" 

"  They  shall  not  kill  us,  my  beloved, "  said  Roberjot,  feelingly ; 
"  life,  I  trust,  has  many  joys  yet  in  store  for  us,  and  we  will  return 
to  our  country  in  order  to  seek  them  there.  Bonnier,  you  alone  are 
silent.  Do  not  ypu  believe  also  that  we  ought  to  set  out  to-night?" 

Bonnier  started  up  from  his  gloomy  reverie.  "  Let  us  set  out, " 
he  said,  "  we  must  boldly  confront  the  terrors  from  which  we  can- 
not escape.  Let  us  set  out. " 

"  Be  it  so !"  shouted  Roberjot  and  Jean  Debry.  "  The  republic 
will  protect  her  faithful  sons  !" 

"And  may  God  protect  us  in  His  infinite  mercy,"  exclaimed 
Madame  Roberjot,  falling  on  her  knees. 

And  Jean  Debry 's  wife  knelt  down  by  her  side,  drawing  her 
little  girls  down  with  her. 

"  Let  us  pray,  my  children,  for  your  father,  for  ourselves,  and  for 
our  friends,"  she  said,  folding  the  children's  hands. 

While  the  women  were  praying,  the  men  issued  their  last  orders 
to  the  servants  and  to  the  postilions. 

At  length  every  thing  was  in  readiness,  and  if  they  really  wished 
to  set  out,  it  had  to  be  done  at  once. 

Roberjot  and  Jean  Debry  approached  softly  and  with  deep  emo- 
tion their  wives,  who  were  kneeling  and  praying  still,  and  raised 
them  tenderly. 

"  Now  be  strong  and  courageous — be  wives  worthy  of  your  hus- 
bands, "  they  whispered.  "  Dry  your  tears  and  come  !  The  carriages 
are  waiting  for  us.  Come,  come,  France  is  waiting  for  us  !" 

"Or  the  grave  !"  muttered  Bonnier,  who  accompanied  the  others 
to  the  court-yard  where  the  carriages  were  standing. 

The  ambassadors  with  their  wives  and  attendants  had  finally 
taken  seats  in  the  carriages.  Roberjot  and  his  wife  occupied  the 
first  carriage ;  Bonnier,  the  second  ;  Jean  Debry  with  his  wife  and 
daughters,  the  third  ;  in  the  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  were  the  secre- 
taries of  legation,  the  clerks  and  servants  of  the  ambassadors. 


232  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

The  last  coach-door  was  closed ;  a  profound  momentary  silence 
succeeded  the  noise  and  turmoil  that  had  prevailed  up  to  this  time. 
Then  the  loud,  ringing  voice  of  Eoberjot  asked  from  the  first  car- 
riage, "  All  ready  ?" 

"  All  ready  !"  was  the  reply  from  the  other  carriages. 

"  Then  let  us  start, "  shouted  Roberjot,  and  his  carriage  immedi- 
ately commenced  moving.  The  other  five  carriages  followed  slowly 
and  heavily. 

The  night  was  chilly  and  dark.  The  sky  was  covered  with  heavy 
clouds.  Not  the  faintest  trace  of  the  moon,  not  a  star  was  visible. 
In  order  that  they  might  not  lose  their  way,  and  see  the  bridge 
across  the  Rhine,  a  man,  bearing  a  torch,  had  to  precede  the  car- 
riages. But  the  gale  moved  the  flame  so  violently  that  it  now 
seemed  near  going  out,  and  then  again  flared  up  and  cast  a  glare 
over  the  long  procession  of  the  carriages.  Then  every  thing  once 
more  became  dark  and  gloomy  and  ominously  still. 

The  torch-bearer,  preceding  the  foremost  carriage,  vigorously 
marched  ahead  on  the  road.  All  at  once  it  seemed  to  him  as  though 
black  figures  were  emerging  from  both  sides  of  the  highway  and 
softly  flitting  past  him.  But  assuredly  he  must  have  been  mis- 
taken ;  it  could  not  have  been  any  thing  but  the  shadows  of  the  trees 
standing  on  both  sides  of  the  road. 

No,  now  he  saw  it  again,  quite  plainly.  The  shadows  were 
horsemen,  softly  riding  along  on  both  sides  of  the  highway. 

He  raised  his  torch  and  looked  at  the  horsemen.  There  was  quite 
a  cavalcade  of  them.  Now  they  crossed  the  ditch  and  took  position 
across  the  road,  thus  preventing  the  carriages  from  passing  on. 

The  torch-bearer  stood  still  and  turned  around  in  order  to  shout 
to  the  postilions  to  halt.  But  only  an  inarticulated,  shrill  cry 
escaped  from  his  throat,  for  at  the  same  moment  two  of  the  horse- 
men galloped  up  and  struck  at  him  with  their  flashing  swords.  He 
parried  the  strokes  with  his  torch,  his  only  weapon,  so  that  one  of 
the  swords  did  not  hit  him  at  all,  while  the  other  only  slightly 
touched  his  shoulder. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  shouted  Roberjot,  in  an  angry  voice, 
from  the  first  carriage. 

The  horsemen  seized  the  arms  of  the  torch-bearer  and  dragged 
him  toward  the  carriage.  "  Light !"  they  shouted  to  him,  and  quite 
a  squad  of  merry  horsemen  was  now  coming  up  behind  them.  When 
they  dashed  past  the  torch,  the  frightened  torch- bearer  was  able  to 
see  their  wild,  bearded  faces,  their  flashing  eyes,  and  the  silver  lace 
on  their  uniforms. 

The  torch  betrayed  the  secret  of  the  night,  and  caused  the  Sczekler 
hussars  of  Barbaczy's  regiment  to  be  recognized. 


THE  ASSASSINATION.  233 

They  now  surrounded  the  first  carriage,  shouting  furiously,  and 
shattering  the  windows  with  their  sabres. 

"Minister  Roberjot !  Are  you  Minister  Roberjot?"  asked  a  dozen 
wild,  howling  voices. 

Roberjot's  grave  and  threatening  face,  illuminated  by  the  glare 
of  the  torch,  appeared  immediately  in  the  aperture  of  the  window. 
"  Yes,  I  am  Roberjot, "  he  said,  loudly ;  "  I  am  the  ambassador  of 
France,  and  here  is  the  passport  furnished  me  by  the  ambassador  of 
the  Elector  of  Mentz. " 

He  exhibited  the  paper,  but  the  hussars  took  no  notice  of  it ;  four 
vigorous  arms  dragged  Roberjot  from  the  carriage,  and  before  he 
had  time  to  stretch  out  his  hand  toward  his  pistols,  the  sabres  of 
the  hussars  fell  down  upon  his  head  and  shoulders. 

A  terrible  yell  was  heard,  but  it  was  not  Roberjot  who  had  uttered 
it ;  it  was  his  wife,  who  appeared  with  pale  and  distorted  features 
in  the  coach  door,  hastening  to  her  beloved  husband,  to  save  him  or 
to  die  with  him. 

But  two  stout  arms  kept  her  back — the  arms  of  the  valet  de 
chambre  who,  perceiving  that  his  master  was  hopelessly  lost,  wanted 
to  protect  at  least  his  mistress  from  the  murderous  sabres  of  the 
hussars. 

"  Let  me  go,  let  me  go ;  I  will  die  with  him  !"  she  cried ;  but  the 
faithful  servant  would  not  loosen  his  hold,  and,  unable  to  reach  her 
husband,  she  had  to  witness  his  assassination  by  the  hussars,  who 
cut  him  with  their  sabres  until  he  lay  weltering  in  his  gore. 

"  He  is  dead  !"  shrieked  his  wife,  and  her  wail  aroused  Roberjot 
once  more  from  his  stupor.  He  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  once 
more  at  his  wife. 

"Sauvez!  sauvez!"  he  shouted,  in  a  voice  full  of  anguish. 
"Oh!—" 

"What !  not  dead  yet?"  roared  the  hussars,  and  they  struck  him 
again. 

Now  he  was  dying.  That  loud,  awful  death-rattle  was  his  last 
life-struggle.  The  valet  de  chambre  in  order  to  prevent  her  from 
hearing  that  awful  sound,  with  his  hands  closed  the  ears  of  his  mis- 
tress, who,  petrified  with  horror,  was  looking  at  her  dying  husband. 

But  she  did  not  hear  it ;  she  had  fainted  in  the  servant's  arms. 
At  this  moment  a  heavy  hand  was  laid  on  his  shoulder,  and  the 
wild,  bearded  face  of  a  hussar  stared  at  him. 

"  Footman  ?"  asked  the  hussar,  in  his  broken  Hungarian  dialect. 

"  Yes,  footman !"  said  the  valet  de  chambre,  in  broken  German. 
The  hussar  smilingly  patted  his  shoulder,  and,  with  his  other  hand, 
pulled  the  watch  from  his  vest-pocket,  kindly  saying  to  him,  "  Foot- 
man, stay  here.  No  harm  will  befall  him  1"  He  then  bent  forward, 


234  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

and  with  a  quick  grasp,  tore  the  watch  and  chain  from  the  neck  of 
Rober jot's  fainting  wife. 

His  task  was  now  accomplished,  and  he  galloped  to  the  second 
carriage,  to  which  the  other  hussars  had  just  dragged  the  torch- 
bearer,  and  which  they  had  completely  surrounded. 

"Bonnier,  alight!"  howled  the  hussars,  furiously — "Bonnier, 
alight  1" 

"  Here  I  am  !"  said  Bonnier,  opening  the  coach  door  ;  "  here — " 

They  did  not  give  him  time  to  finish  the  sentence.  They  dragged 
him  from  the  carriage,  and  struck  him  numerous  blows  amidst  loud 
laughter  and  yells.  Bonnier  did  not  defend  himself;  he  did  not 
parry  a  single  one  of  their  strokes ;  without  uttering  a  cry  or  a 
groan,  he  sank  to  the  ground.  His  dying  lips  only  whispered  a 
single  word.  That  word  was,  "  Victoria !" 

The  six  hussars  who  crowded  around  him  now  stopped  in  their 
murderous  work.  They  saw  that  Bonnier  was  dead — really  dead — 
and  that  their  task  was  accomplished.  Now  commenced  the  appro- 
priation of  the  spoils,  the  reward  that  had  been  promised  to  them. 
Four  of  them  rushed  toward  the  carriage  in  order  to  search  it  and 
to  take  out  all  papers,  valuables,  and  trunks  ;  the  two  others  searched 
and  undressed  the  warm  corpse  of  Bonnier  with  practised  hands. 

Then  the  six  hussars  rushed  after  their  comrades  toward  the  third 
carriage — toward  Jean  Debry.  But  the  others  had  already  out- 
stripped them.  They  had  dragged  Debry,  his  wife,  and  his  daugh- 
ters from  the  carriage ;  they  were  robbing  and  searching  the  lady 
and  the  children,  and  cutting  Jean  Debry  with  their  sabres. 

He  dropped  to  the  ground ;  his  respiration  ceased,  and  a  convul- 
sive shudder  passed  through  the  bloody  figure,  and  then  it  lay  cold 
and  motionless  in  the  road. 

"  Dead !  dead !"  shouted  the  hussars,  triumphantly.  "  The  three 
men  are  killed  ;  now  for  the  spoils  I  The  carriages  are  ours,  with 
every  thing  in  them  !  Come,  let  us  search  the  fourth  carriage.  We 
will  kill  no  more ;  we  will  only  seize  the  spoils  !" 

And  all  were  shouting  and  exulting,  "  Ho  for  the  spoils  !  for  the 
spoils !  Every  thing  is  ours !"  And  the  wild  crowd  rushed  forward, 
and  Jean  Debry  lay  motionless,  a  bleeding  corpse  by  the  side  of  the 
carriage. 

Profound  darkness  enveloped  the  scene  of  horror  and  carnage. 
The  torch  had  gone  out ;  no  human  eye  beheld  the  corpses  with  their 
gaping  wounds.  The  ladies  had  been  taken  into  the  carriages  by 
their  servants ;  the  hussars  were  engaged  in  plundering  the  three 
remaining  carriages,  the  inmates  of  which,  however,  forewarned 
in  time  by  the  shrieks  and  groans  that  had  reached  them  from  the 


JEAN   DEBRY.  235 

scene  of  Roberjot's  assassination,  had  left  and  fled  across  the  marshy 
meadows  to  the  wail  of  the  castle  garden.  Climbing  over  it  and 
hastening  through  the  garden,  they  reached  the  city  and  spread 
everywhere  the  terrible  tidings  of  the  assassination  of  the  ambassa- 
dors. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

JEAN   DEBRY. 

As  soon  as  the  report  of  the  dreadful  occurrence  had  been  circu- 
lated, a  dense  crowd  gathered  in  the  streets  of  Rastadt,  and  for  the 
first  time  for  two  years  the  ambassadors  of  all  the  German  powers 
were  animated  by  one  and  the  same  idea,  and  acting  in  concord  and 
harmony.  They  repaired  in  a  solemn  procession  to  the  Ettlinger 
gate,  headed  by  Count  Goertz  and  Baron  Dohm  ;  the  others  followed 
in  pairs,  Count  Lehrbach,  the  Austrian  ambassador,  being  the  only 
one  who  had  not  joined  the  procession.  But  the  guard  at  the  gate 
refused  to  let  them  pass,  and  when  they  had  finally  succeeded,  after 
long  and  tedious  negotiations,  in  being. permitted  to  leave  the  city, 
they  were  met  outside  of  the  gate  by  the  Austrian  Captain  Burkhard 
and  his  hussars. 

Count  Goertz  went  to  meet  him  with  intrepid  courage.  "  Did 
you  hear  that  an  infamous  murder  has  been  perpetrated  on  the 
French  ambassadors  not  far  from  the  city  ?" 

"  I  have  heard  of  it, "  said  the  captain,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

"  And  what  steps  have  you  taken  in  order  to  save  the  unfortunate 
victims,  if  possible  ?" 

"  I  have  sent  an  officer  and  two  hussars  for  the  purpose  of  ascer- 
taining the  particulars. " 

"That  is  not  sufficient,  sir!"  exclaimed  Count  Goertz.  "You 
must  do  more  than  that ;  you  must  strain  every  nerve  on  this  occa- 
sion, for  this  is  not  an  ordinary  murder,  but  your  honor,  sir,  is  at 
stake,  as  well  as  the  honor  of  your  monarch  and  the  honor  of  the 
German  nation !" 

"The  honor  of  the  German  nation  is  at  stake,"  shouted  the  am- 
bassadors, unanimously.  "  Our  honor  has  been  sullied  by  the  assas- 
sination !" 

But  the  captain  remained  cold  and  indifferent.  "  It  is  a  deplor- 
able misunderstanding, "  he  said.  "  It  is  true,  the  patrols  were  going 
the  rounds  at  night,  and  such  things  may  occur  at  this  time.  The 
French  ministers  should  not  have  set  out  by  night.  The  crime  has 
MUHLBACH — K  VOL.  7 


236  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

been  committed,  and  who  is  to  blame  for  it?  It  was  not  done  by 
anybody's  order."  * 

"  Who  would  deem  it  possible  that  such  an  outrage  should  have 
been  committed  by  order  of  any  commanding  officer?"  exclaimed 
Count  Goertz,  indignantly. 

"Ah,  yes,  an  outrage  indeed!"  said  Burkhard,  shrugging  his 
shoulders.  "  A  few  ambassadors  have  been  killed.  A  few  of  our 
generals,  too,  were  killed  during  the  last  few  years,  "f 

Count  Goertz  turned  to  the  other  ambassadors  with  an  air  of  pro- 
found indignation.  "  You  see, "  he  said,  "  we  need  not  hope  for  much 
assistance  here ;  let  us  seek  it  elsewhere.  Let  some  of  us  repair  in 
person  to  Colonel  Barbaczy's  headquarters  at  Gernsbach,  while  the 
rest  of  us  will  go  to  the  spot  where  the  murders  were  committed. 
If  the  captain  here  declines  giving  us  an  escort  for  that  purpose, 
we  shall  repair  thither  without  one  ;  and  if  we  should  lose  our  lives 
by  so  doing,  Germany  will  know  how  to  avenge  us  !" 

"  I  will  give  you  an  escort, "  said  Burkhard,  somewhat  abashed 
by  the  energetic  bearing  of  the  count. 

While  the  ambassadors  were  negotiating  with  the  captain  at  the 
Ettlinger  gate,  the  hussars  were  incessantly  engaged  in  plundering 
the  six  carriages.  After  finishing  the  first  three  carriages,  they 
ordered  the  ladies  and  servants  to  reenter  them  and  to  await  quietly 
and  silently  what  further  would  be  done  in  relation  to  them.  No 
one  dared  to  offer  any  resistance — no  one  was  strong  enough  to  op- 
pose them.  Dismay  had  perfectly  paralyzed  and  stupefied  all  of 
them.  Madame  Debry  lay  in  her  carriage  with  open,  tearless  eyes, 
and  neither  the  lamentations  nor  the  kisses  of  her  daughters  were 
able  to  arouse  her  from  her  stupor.  Madame  Roberjot  was  wring- 
ing her  hands,  and  amidst  heart-rending  sobs  she  was  wailing  all 
the  time,  "  They  have  hacked  him  to  pieces  before  my  eyes  1"  % 

No  one  paid  any  attention  to  the  corpses  lying  with  their  gaping 
wounds  in  the  adjoining  ditch.  Night  alone  covered  them  with  its 
black  pall ;  night  alone  saw  that  Jean  Debry  all  at  once  commenced 
stirring  slightly,  that  he  opened  his  eyes  and  raised  his  head  in  order 
to  find  out  what  was  going  on  around  him.  With  the  courage  of 
despair  he  had  been  playing  the  role  of  a  motionless  corpse  as  long 
as  the  hussars  were  in  his  neighborhood  ;  and  now  that  he  no  longer 
heard  any  noise  in  his  vicinity,  it  was  time  for  him  to  think  of 
saving  himself. 

He  remained  in  a  sitting  position  in  the  ditch  and  listened. 

*  The  literal  reply  of  Captain  Burkhard.— Fide  "  Report  of    the  German  Am- 
bassadors concerning  the  Assassination  of  the  French  Ministers  near  Rastadt." 
tlbid. 
$  "I la  Vont  hoche  devant  mes  yeux!  "— Lodiacus,  vol.  iii.,  p.  195. 


JEAN  DEBRY.  237 

His  head  was  so  heavy  that  he  had  not  sufficient  strength  to  hold  it 
erect,  it  dropped  again  upon  his  breast ;  from  a  burning,  painful 
wound  the  blood  was  running  over  his  face  into  his  mouth,  and  it 
was  the  only  cooling  draught  for  his  parched  lips.  He  wanted  to 
raise  his  arm  in  order  to  close  this  wound  and  to  stanch  the  blood, 
but  the  arm  fell  down  by  his  side,  heavy  and  lame,  and  he  then  felt 
that  it  was  likewise  severely  injured. 

And  yet,  bleeding  and  hacked  as  he  was,  he  was  alive,  and  it 
was  time  for  him  to  think  of  preserving  his  life.  For  over  yonder, 
in  the  carriage,  there  resounded  the  wail  of  his  children,  and  the 
lamentations  of  his  servants.  His  wife's  voice,  however,  he  did 
not  hear.  Was  she  not  there  ?  Had  she  also  been  assassinated  ? 

He  dared  not  inquire  for  her  at  this  moment.  He  had  to  save 
himself,  and  he  was  determined  to  do  it. 

He  arose  slowly,  and  heedless  of  the  pain  it  caused  him.  Eveiy 
thing  around  him  remained  silent.  No  one  had  seen  him  rise ;  night 
with  its  black  pall  protected  him.  It  protected  him  now  as  he 
walked  a  few  steps  toward  the  forest,  closely  adjoining  the  high- 
way. At  length  he  reached  the  forest,  and  the  shades  of  darkness 
and  of  the  woods  covered  the  tall,  black  form  that  now  disappeared 
in  the  thicket. 

But  his  enemies  might  be  lurking  for  him  in  this  thicket.  Every 
step  forward  might  involve  him  in  fresh  dangers.  Exhausted  and 
in  despair,  Jean  Debry  supported  his  tottering  body  against  a  tree, 
the  sturdy  trunk  of  which  he  encircled  with  his  arms.  This  tree 
was  now  his  only  protector,  the  only  friend  on  whom  he  could  rely. 
To  this  tree  alone  he  determined  to  intrust  his  life. 

Heedless  of  his  wounded  arm  and  the  racking  pains  of  his  other 
injuries,  Jean  Debry  climbed  the  knotty  trunk ;  seizing  a  large 
branch,  he  raised  himself  from  bough  to  bough.  A  few  birds, 
aroused  from  their  slumbers,  arose  from  the  foliage  and  flitted  away. 
Jean  Debry  followed  them  with  his  eyes,  and  whispered,  "  You  will 
not  betray  me !" 

On  the  highest  bough,  in  the  densest  foliage,  he  sat  down,  gasp- 
ing with  exhaustion,  and  groaning  with  pain.  In  his  utter  prostra- 
tion after  the  extraordinary  effort  he  had  just  made,  he  leaned  his 
head  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  the  dense  branches  of  which 
closely  enveloped  him,  and  gave  a  roof  to  his  head  and  a  resting- 
place  to  his  feet. 

"Here  I  am  safe — here  no  one  will  look  for  me  1"  he  muttered, 
and  he  fell  asleep,  prostrated  by  his  sufferings  and  loss  of  blood. 

Night  with  its  dark  mantle  covered  him  up  and  fanned  his 
feverish  brow  with  its  cooling  air ;  the  foliage  of  the  tree  laid 
itself  soft  and  fresh  around  his  burning  cheeks,  and  delightful 


238  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

dreams  descended  from  heaven  to  comfort  this  poor,  tormented  hu- 
man soul. 

After  several  hours  of  invigorating  sleep,  Jean  Debry  was 
awakened,  not,  however,  by  the  rude  hands  of  men,  but  heaven 
itself  aroused  him  by  the  torrents  of  a  heavy  shower. 

Oh,  how  refreshing  were  these  cold  drops  for  his  parched  lips ! 
How  gently  did  this  soft  and  tepid  water  wash  the  blood  and  dust 
from  his  wounds  !  How  delightfully  did  it  bathe  his  poor  benumbed 
limbs ! 

He  felt  greatly  invigorated,  and  courageously  determined  to 
make  further  efforts  for  the  preservation  of  his  life.  He  slowly 
glided  down  from  the  tree  and  stood  once  more  on  the  ground. 

The  shower  was  constantly  on  the  increase,  and  the  rain  became 
now,  at  daybreak,  Jean  Debry 's  protector.  When  men  forsake  their 
poor,  tormented  fellow -be  ings,  Nature  takes  pity  on  them  and  en- 
circles them  with  her  saving  and  protecting  maternal  arms. 

The  rain  protected  Jean  Debry ;  it  washed  the  dust  and  blood 
from  his  garments,  and  made  him  resemble  the  other  men  who  had 
gathered  in  a  large  crowd  on  the  road,  not  far  from  where  he 
emerged  from  the  forest.  All  of  them  were  looking  with  pale  faces 
and  expressions  of  unbounded  horror  at  some  objects  lying  in  their 
midst.  What  was  it  that  rendered  this  crowd,  generally  so  noisy 
and  turbulent,  to-day  so  silent  and  grave? 

Jean  Debry  penetrated  further  into  their  midst,  and  he  discovered 
now  with«a  shudder  what  riveted  the  attention  of  the  vast  gathering 
on  the  road. 

He  beheld  the  bloody  and  mutilated  corpses  of  his  two  friends — 
the  dead  bodies  of  Roberjot  and  Bonnier. 

Jean  Debry  closely  compressed  his  lips  in  order  to  keep  back  the 
cry  that  forced  itself  from  his  breast ;  with  the  whole  energy  of  his 
will  he  suppressed  the  tears  that  started  from  his  eyes,  and  he  turned 
away  in  order  to  return  to  Rastadt. 

The  rain  protected  Jean  Debry.  The  rain  had  driven  the  soldiers 
at  the  gate  into  the  guard-room,  and  the  sentinel  into  the  sentry- 
box.  No  one  took  any  notice  of  this  wet  and  dripping  man  when  he 
entered  the  gate. 

He  quietly  walked  up  the  street,  directly  toward  the  house  in- 
habited by  Count  Goertz,  the  Prussian  ambassador.  He  entered  the 
house  with  firm  steps,  and  hastened  into  the  anteroom  which,  as  he 
formerly  used  to  do,  he  wanted  to  cross  in  order  to  walk  to  the 
count's  room  without  sending  in  his  name. 

But  the  footmen  kept  him  back  ;  they  refused  to  admit  this  pale 
man  with  the  lacerated  face  and  tattered  clothes  to  their  master's 
private  room. 


JEAN  DEBRY.  239 

"Don't  you  know  me  any  longer,  my  friends?"  he  asked,  sadly. 
"  Am  I  so  disfigured  that  no  one  of  you  is  able  to  recognize  Jean 
Debry?" 

The  footmen  now  recognized  his  voice,  and  the  valet  de  chambre 
hastened  to  open  the  door  of  the  count's  study,  and  to  shout,  in  a 
loud  voice,  "His  excellency,  the  French  ambassador  Debry  !" 

Count  Goertz  uttered  a  joyful  cry,  and  hastily  rose  from  the  sofa 
on  which,  exhausted  by  the  efforts  of  the  terrible  night,  he  had 
sought  a  little  rest. 

Jean  Debry  entered  the  room.  He  made  a  truly  lamentable  ap- 
pearance as  he  approached  the  count,  and  fixed  his  dimmed,  blood- 
shot eyes  upon  him  with  an  expression  of  unutterable  anguish. 

"Are  my  wife  and  children  safe?"  he  asked,  breathlessly. 

"  Yes,  they  are  safe  !"  exclaimed  the  count. 

And  Jean  Debry,  the  austere  republican,  the  scoffing  infidel, 
Jean  Debry  fell  upon  his  knees  !  Lifting  up  his  arms  toward  heaven, 
his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  he  exclaimed :  "  Divine  Providence,  if  I 
have  hitherto  refused  to  acknowledge  thy  benefits,  oh,  forgive  me  !"  * 

"And  punish  those  who  have  perpetrated  this  horirble  crime !" 
added  Count  Goertz,  folding  his  hands,  and  uttering  a  fervent 
prayer.  "  O  God,  reveal  the  authors  of  this  misdeed ;  let  us  find 
those  who  have  committed  this  outrage,  lest  it  may  remain  a  bloody 
stigma  on  the  fame  of  our  country  !  Have  mercy  on  poor  Germany, 
on  whose  brow  this  mark  of  infamy  is  now  burning,  and  who  will 
be  obliged  to  pour  out  rivers  of  her  best  blood  in  order  to  atone  for 
this  crime,  and  to  clear  her  sullied  honor  !  Have  mercy  on  all  of  us, 
and  give  us  courage  to  brave  the  storms  which  this  horrible  event 
will  assuredly  call  down !  Have  mercy,  O  God ;  punish  only  the 
assassins,  but  not  our  native  land  !" 

This  prayer  of  Count  Goertz  was  not  fulfilled.  The  real  instiga- 
tors of  the  murder  were  never  detected  and  punished,  although  the 
Austrian  court,  in  a  public  manifesto  to  the  German  nation,  prom- 
ised a  searching  investigation  of  the  whole  affair,  and  a  rigorous 
chastisement  of  the  assassins.  But  the  investigation  was  but  a  very 
superficial  proceeding,  and  its  results  were  never  published.  The 
Sczekler  hussars  publicly  sold,  on  the  following  day,  the  watches, 
snuff-boxes,  and  valuables  they  had  stolen  from  the  French  ambas- 
sadors. Some  of  them  even  acknowledged  openly  that  they  had 
perpetrated  the  murder,  at  the  instigation  of  their  officers.  But 
nobody  thought  of  arresting  them,  or  calling  them  to  account  for 
their  crime.  It  is  true,  after  a  while  some  of  them  were  imprisoned 
and  tried.  But  the  proceedings  instituted  against  them  were  never 

*  He  exclaimed  •  "  Divine  Providence,  si  j'ai  meconnu  tes  bienfaits  jusqu'ici, 
pardonne!  "— Lodiacus,  iii.,  p.  195. 


240  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

published,  although  the  Austrian  court  had  expressly  promised  to 
lay  the  minutes  of  the  commission  trying  the  prisoners,  and  the 
results -.of  the  whole  investigation,  before  the  pubilc.  In  reality, 
however,  the  Austrian  authorities  tried  to  hush  up  the  whole  affair, 
so  that  the  world  might  forget  it.  And  it  was  forgotten,  and  re- 
mained unpunished.  In  diplomatic  circles,  however,  the  real  insti- 
gators of  the  outrage  were  well  known.  "  It  was, "  says  the  author 
of  the  "Memoirs  of  a  German  Statesman"  (Count  Schlitz),  "it  was 
a  man  who,  owing  to  his  exalted  position,  played  a  very  prominent 
part  at  Rastadt ;  not  a  very  noble  one,  however.  He  was  actuated 
by  vindictiveness,  and  he  was  determined  to  seize  the  most  secret 
papers  of  the  ambassadors  at  any  price.  The  general  archives,  how- 
ever, had  been  forwarded  to  Strasburg  several  days  before.  He  had 
found  willing  tools  in  the  brutal  hussars.  These  wretches  believed 
that  what  a  man  of  high  standing  asked  them  to  do  was  agreeable 
to  the  will  of  their  imperial  master.  Baseness  is  easily  able  to  mis- 
lead stupidity,  and  soldiers  thus  became  the  assassins  of  unarmed 
men,  who  stood  under  the  sacred  protection  of  international  law. " 

The  excitement  and  indignation  produced  by  this  horrible  crime 
were  general  throughout  Europe,  and  every  one  recognized  in  it  the 
bloody  seeds  of  a  time  of  horrors  and  untold  evils ;  every  one  was 
satisfied  that  France  would  take  bloody  revenge  for  the  assassination 
of  her  ambassadors.  In  fact,  as  soon  as  the  tidings  from  Rastadt 
penetrated  beyond  the  Rhine,  there  arose  throughout  the  whole  of 
France  a  terrible  cry  of  rage  and  revenge.  The  intelligence  reached 
Mentz  in  the  evening,  when  the  theatre  was  densely  crowded.  The 
commander  ordered  the  news  to  be  read  from  the  stage,  and  the  furious 
public  shouted, "  Vengeance  !  vengeance  !  et  la  mort  aux  Allemands  !  "  * 

In  Paris,  solemn  obsequies  were  performed  for  the  murdered  am- 
bassadors. The  seats  which  Bonnier  and  Roberjot  had  formerly 
occupied  in  the  hall  of  the  Corps  Legislatif  were  covered  with  their 
bloody  garments.  When  the  roll  was  called  and  their  names  were 
read,  the  president  rose  and  replied  solemnly:  "Assassinated  at 
Rastadt !"  The  clerks  then  exclaimed  :  "  May  their  blood  be  brought 
home  to  the  authors  of  their  murder !" 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

THE  COALITION. 

COUNT  HAUawTTZ,  the  Prussian  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  had 
just  returned  from  a  journey  he  had  made  with  the  young  king  to 
Westphalia.     In  his  dusty  travelling-costume,  and  notwithstanding 
*  "  Vengeance  I  vengeance  !  and  death  to  the  Germans  1 " 


THE  COALITION.  241 

his  exhaustion  after  the  fatigues  of  the  trip,  as  soon  as  he  had  entered 
his  study,  he  had  hastily  written  two  letters,  and  then  handed  them 
to  his  footman,  ordering  him  to  forward  them  at  once  to  their  ad- 
dress, to  the  ambassadors  of  Prussia  and  England.  Only  then  he  had 
thrown  himself  on  his  bed,  but  issued  strict  orders  to  awaken  him 
as  soon  as  the  two  ambassadors  had  entered  the  house. 

Scarcely  an  hour  had  elapsed  when  the  footman  awakened  the 
count,  informing  him  that  the  two  ambassadors  had  just  arrived 
at  the  same  time,  and  were  waiting  for  him  in  the  small  reception- 
room. 

The  minister  hastily  rose  from  his  couch,  and  without  devoting 
a  single  glance  to  his  toilet  and  to  his  somewhat  dishevelled  wig, 
he  crossed  his  study  and  entered  the  reception-room,  where  Lord 
Grenville  and  Count  Panin  were  waiting  for  him. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  the  count  after  a  hurried  bow,  "be  kind 
enough  to  look  at  my  toilet,  and  then  I  hope  you  will  excuse  me  for 
daring  to  request  you  to  call  upon  me,  instead  of  coming  to  you  as 
I  ought  to  have  done.  But  you  see  I  have  not  even  doffed  my  trav- 
elling habit,  and  it  would  not  have  behooved  me  to  call  on  you  in 
such  a  costume  ;  but  the  intelligence  I  desire  to  communicate  is  of 
such  importance  that  I  wished  to  lose  no  time  in  order  to  lay  it  be- 
fore you,  and  hence  I  took  the  liberty  of  inviting  you  to  see  me. " 

"  As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  willingly  accepted  your  invitation, " 
said  Lord  Grenville,  deliberately,  "  for  in  times  like  these  we  can 
well  afford  to  disregard  the  requirements  of  etiquette. " 

"  That  I  was  no  less  eager  to  follow  your  call, "  said  Count  Panin, 
with  a  courteous  smile,  "you  have  seen  from  the  fact  that  I  arrived 
at  the  same  time  with  the  distinguished  ambassador  of  Great  Brit- 
ain. But  now,  gentlemen,  a  truce  to  compliments ;  let  us  come  to 
the  point  directly,  and  without  any  further  circumlocution.  For 
the  six  months  that  I  have  been  here  at  Berlin,  in  order  to  negotiate 
with  Prussia  about  the  coalition  question,  I  have  been  so  incessantly 
put  off  with  empty  phrases,  that  I  am  heartily  tired  of  that  diet  and 
long  for  more  substantial  food. " 

"  Your  longing  will  be  gratified  to-day,  Count  Panin, "  said  Count 
Haugwitz,  with  a  proud  smile,  inviting  the  gentlemen,  by  a  polite 
gesture,  to  take  seats  on  the  sofa,  while  he  sat  down  in  an  arm-chair 
opposite  them.  "Yes,  you  will  find  to-day  a  good  and  nourishing 
diet,  and  I  hope  you  will  be  content  with  the  cook  who  has  prepared 
it  for  you.  I  may  say  that  I  am  that  cook,  and  believe  me,  gentle- 
men, the  task  of  preparing  that  food  for  you  has  not  been  a  very 
easy  one. " 

"  You  have  induced  the  King  of  Prussia  at  length  to  join  the 
coalition,  and  to  enter  into  an  alliance  with  Russia,  England,  and 


242  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Austria  against  the  French  Republic?"  asked  Count  Panin,  joy- 
fully. 

"  You  have  told  his  majesty  that  England  is  ready  to  pay  large 
subsidies  as  soon  as  Prussia  leads  her  army  into  the  field  against 
France?"  asked  Lord  Grenville. 

"  Gentlemen, "  said  Count  Haugwitz,  in  a  slightly  sarcastic  tone, 
"  I  feel  greatly  flattered  by  your  impetuous  inquiries,  for  they  prove 
to  me  how  highly  you  value  an  alliance  with  Prussia.  Permit  me, 
however,  to  communicate  to  you  quietly  and  composedly  the  whole 
course  of  negotiations.  You  know  that  I  had  the  honor  of  accom- 
panying my  royal  master  on  his  trip  to  our  Westphalian  possessions, 
where  his  majesty  was  going  to  review  an  army  of  sixty  thousand 
men. " 

"  It  would  have  been  better  to  send  these  sixty  thousand  men 
directly  into  the  field,  instead  of  losing  time  by  useless  parades, " 
muttered  Count  Panin. 

The  minister  seemed  not  to  have  heard  the  words,  and  continued  : 

"His  majesty  established  his  headquarters  at  Peterhagen,  and 
there  we  were  informed  that  Archduke  Charles  of  Austria  was 
holding  the  Rhine  against  Bernadotte  and  Jourdan,  and  that  the 
imperial  army,  under  the  command  of  Kray,  in  Italy,  had  been 
victorious,  too ;  it  is  true,  however,  the  Russian  auxiliary  army, 
under  Field-Marshal  Suwarrow,  had  greatly  facilitated  Kray's  suc- 
cessful operations.  This  intelligence  did  not  fail  to  make  a  power- 
ful impression  upon  my  young  kfng,  and  I  confess  upon  myself  too. 
Hitherto,  you  know,  I  had  always  opposed  to  a  war  against  France, 
and  I  had  deemed  it  most  expedient  for  Prussia  to  avoid  hostilities 
against  the  republic.  But  the  brilliant  achievements  of  Russia  and 
Austria  in  Italy,  and  the  victories  of  Archduke  Charles  on  the  Rhine, 
seem  to  prove  at  length  that  the  lucky  star  of  France  is  paling,  and 
that  it  would  be  advantageous  for  Prussia  openly  to  join  the  adver- 
saries of  the  republic  in  their  attack. " 

"  A  very  bold  and  magnanimous  resolution, "  said  Count  Panin, 
with  a  sarcastic  smile. 

"A  resolution  influenced  somewhat  by  the  British  subsidies  I 
have  promised  to  Prussia,  I  suppose?"  asked  Lord  Grenville. 

"  Let  me  finish  my  statement,  gentlemen, "  said  Count  Haugwitz, 
courteously.  "  The  king,  undecided  as  to  the  course  he  ought  to 
pursue,  assembled  at  Paterhagen  a  council  of  war,  our  great  com- 
mander, Ferdinand,  duke  of  Brunswick,  of  course,  having  been  In- 
vited to  be  present.  His  majesty  requested  us  to  state  honestly  and 
sincerely  whether  we  were  in  favor  of  war  or  peace  with  France. 
The  duke  of  Brunswick  was,  of  course,  the  first  speaker  who  replied 
to  the  king ;  he  voted  for  war.  He  gave  his  reasons  in  a  fiery  and 


THE  COALITION.  243 

energetic  speech,  and  demonstrated  to  the  king  that  at  a  time  when 
England  was  about  to  send"  an  army  to  Holland,  an  advance  into 
Holland  by  our  own  army  would  be  highly  successful.  For  my 
part,  I  unconditionally  assented  to  the  duke's  opinion,  and  Baron 
Kockeritz  declaring  for  it  likewise,  the  king  did  not  hesitate  any 
longer,  but  took  a  great  and  bold  resolution.  He  ordered  the  Duke 
of  Brunswick  to  draw  up  a  memorial,  stating  in  extenso  why  Prussia 
ought  to  participate  in  the  war  against  France,  and  to  send  in  at 
the  same  time  a  detailed  plan  of  the  campaign.  He  instructed  nie 
to  return  forthwith  to  Berlin,  and  while  he  would  continue  his 
journey  to  Wesel,  to«haaten  to  the  capital  for  the  purpose  of  inform- 
ing you,  gentlemen,  that  the  king  will  join  the  coalition,  and  of 
settling  with  you  the  particulars — " 

At  this  moment  thetdoor  of  the  reception-room  was  hastily  opened, 
and  the  first  secretary  of  the  minister  made  his  appearance. 

"Pardon  me,  your  excellency,  for  disturbing  you,"  he  said, 
handing  a  sealed  letter  to  the  count,  "  but  a  courier  has  just  arrived 
from  the  king's  headquarters  with  an  autograph  letter  from  his 
majesty.  He  had  orders  to  deliver  this  letter  immediately  to  your 
excellency,  because  it  contained  intelligence  of  the  highest  impor- 
tance. " 

"  Tell  the  courier  that  the  orders  of  his  majesty  have  been  carried 
out,"  said  Count  Haugwitz ;  "and  you,  gentlemen,  I  am  sure  you 
will  permit  me  to  open  this  letter  from  my  king  in  your  presence. 
It  may  contain  some  important  particulars  in  relation  to  our  new 
alliance. " 

The  two  gentlemen  assured  him  of  their  consent,  and  Count 
Haugwitz  opened  the  letter.  When  he  commenced  reading  it,  his 
face  was  as  unruffled  as  ever,  but  his  features  gradually  assumed  a 
graver  expression,  and  the  smile  disappeared  from  his  lips. 

The  two  ambassadors,  who  were  closely  watching  the  count's 
countenance,  could  not  fail  to  notice  this  rapid  change  in  his 
features,  and  their  faces  now  assumed  likewise  a  gloomier  air. 

Count  Haugwitz,  however,  seemed  unable  to  master  the  contents 
of  the  royal  letter ;  he  constantly  read  it  anew,  as  though  he  were 
seeking  in  its  words  for  a  hidden  and  mysterious  meaning.  He 
was  so  absorbed  in  the  perusal  of  the  letter  that  he  had  apparently 
become  entirely  oblivious  of  the  presence  of  the  two  gentlemen, 
until  a  slight  coughing  of  the  English  ambassador  aroused  him 
from  his  musing. 

"  Pardon  me,  gentlemen, "  he  said,  hastily,  and  in  evident  embar- 
rassment ;  "  this  letter  contains  some  intelligence  which  greatly 
astonishes  me. " 

"  I  hope  it  will  not  interfere  with  the  accession  of  Prussia  to  the 


244  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

coalition?"  said  Panin,  fixing  his  eyes  upon  the  countenance  of  the 
minister. 

"Not  at  all,"  said  Count  Haugwitz,  quickly  and  smilingly. 
"The  extraordinary  news  is  this:  his  majesty  the  king  will  reach 
Berlin  within  this  hour,  and  orders  me  to  repair  to  him  at  once. " 

"  The  king  returns  to  Berlin  !"  exclaimed  Count  Panin. 

"  And  did  not  your  excellency  tell  us  just  now  that  the  king  had 
set  out  for  Wesel?"  asked  Lord  Grenville,  with  his  usual  stoical 
equanimity. 

"  I  informed  you,  gentlemen,  of  what  occurred  two  weeks  ago, " 
said  Count  Haugwitz,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

"What!  Two  weeks  ago?  Nevertheless,  your  excellency  has 
just  arrived  at  Berlin,  and  are  wearing  yet  your  travelling-habit?" 

"  That  is  very  true.  I  left  Minden  two  weeks  ago,  but  the  im- 
passable condition  of  the  roads  compelled  me  to  travel  with  snail- 
like  slowness.  My  carriage  every  day  stuck  in  an  ocean  of  mire, 
so  that  I  had  to  send  for  men  from  the  adjoining  villages  in  order 
to  set  it  going  again.  The  axle-tree  broke  twice,  and  I  was  obliged 
to  remain  several  days  in  the  most  forsaken  little  country  towns 
until  I  succeeded  in  getting  my  carriage  repaired." 

"  The  king  seems  to  have  found  better  roads, "  said  Count  Panin, 
with  a  lurking  glance.  "The  journey  to  Wesel  has  been  a  very 
rapid  one,  at  all  events. " 

"The  king,  it  seems,  has  given  up  that  journey  and  concluded 
on  the  road  to  return  to  the  capital, "  said  Count  Haugwitz,  in  an 
embarrassed  manner. 

"  It  would  be  very  deplorable  if  the  king  should  as  rapidly  change 
his  mind  in  relation  to  his  other  resolutions!"  exclaimed  Lord 
Grenville. 

"  Your  excellency  does  not  fear,  then,  lest  this  sudden  return  of 
the  king  should  have  any  connection  with  our  plans?"  asked  Panin. 
"The  king  has  authorized  you  to  negotiate  with  the  English  am- 
bassador, Sir  Thomas  Grenville,  and  with  myself,  the  representative 
of  the  Emperor  Paul,  of  Russia,  about  forming  an  alliance  for  the 
purpose  of  driving  the  rapacious,  revolutionary,  and  blood  thirsty 
French  Republic  beyond  the  Rhine,  and  restoring  tranquillity  to 
menaced  Europe?" 

"It  is  true  the  king  gave  me  such  authority  two  weeks  ago," 
said  Count  Haugwitz,  uneasily,  "  and  I  doubt  not  for  a  single  mo- 
ment that  his  majesty  is  now  adhering  to  this  opinion.  But  you 
comprehend,  gentlemen,  that  I  must  now  hasten  to  wait  on  the 
returning  king,  in  order  to  receive  further  instructions  from 
him." 

"That  means,  Count  Haugwitz,  that  you  have  invited  us  to  call 


THE  COALITION. 

on  you  in  order  to  tell  us  that  we  may  go  again?"  asked  Panin, 
frowning. 

"  I  am  in  despair,  gentlemen,  at  this  unfortunate  coincidence, " 
said  Count  Haugwitz,  anxiously.  "It  is,  however,  impossible  for 
me  now  to  enter  into  further  explanations.  I  must  repair  immedi- 
ately to  the  palace,  and  I  humbly  beg  your  pardon  for  this  unex- 
pected interruption  of  our  conference. " 

"  I  accept  your  apology  as  sincerely  as  it  was  offered,  and  have 
the  honor  to  bid  you  farewell, "  said  Panin,  bowing  and  turning 
toward  the  door.  » 

Count  Haugwitz  hastened  to  accompany  him.  When  he  arrived 
at  the]  door,  and  was  about  to  leave  the  room,  Count  Panin  turned 
around  once  more. 

"  Count  Haugwitz, "  he  said,  in  a  blunt  voice,  "  be  kind  enough 
to  call  the  attention  of  the  king  to  the  fact  that  my  imperial  master, 
who  is  very  fond  of  resolute  men  and  measures,  prefers  an  open  and 
resolute  enemy  to  a  neutral  and  irresolute  friend.  He  who  wants 
to  be  no  one's  enemy  and  everybody's  friend,  will  soon  find  out  that 
he  has  no  friends  whatever,  and  that  no  one  thanks  him  for  not 
committing  himself  in  any  direction.  It  is  better  after  all  to  have 
a  neighbor  with  whom  we  are  living  in  open  enmity,  than  one  on 
whose  assistance  we  are  never  able  to  depend,  and  who,  whenever 
we  are  at  war  with  a  third  power,  contents  himself  with  doing 
nothing  at  all  and  assisting  no  one.  Be  kind  enough  to  say  that  to 
his  majesty." 

He  bowed  haughtily,  and  entered  the  anteroom  with  a  sullen 
face. 

Count  Haugwitz  turned  around  and  met  the  stern,  cold  glance 
of  the  English  ambassador,  who  was  also  approaching  the  door  with 
slow  and  measured  steps. 

"  Count  Haugwitz, "  said  Lord  Grenville,  quietly,  "  I  have  the 
honor  to  tell  you  that,  in  case  the  King  of  Prussia  will  not  now, 
distinctly  and  unmistakably,  declare  his  intention  of  joining  the 
coalition  between  Russia,  Austria,  and  England,  we  shall  use  the 
subsidies  we  had  promised  to  pay  to  Prussia  for  an  army  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  men,  in  some  other  way.  Besides,  I  beg  you  to 
remind  his  majesty  of  the  words  of  his  great  ancestor,  the  Elector 
Frederick  William.  That  brave  and  great  sovereign  said:  'I  have 
learned  already  what  it  means  to  be  neutral.  One  may  have  ob- 
tained the  best  terms,  and,  in  spite  of  them,  will  be  badly  treated. 
Hence  I  have  sworn  never  to  be  neutral  again,  and  it  would  hurt 
my  conscience  to  act  in  a  different  manner. '  *  I  have  the  honor, 
count,  to  bid  you  farewell. " 

*HSusser's  "History of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,p.  281. 


246  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

And  Lord  Grenville  passed  the  count  with  a  stiff  bow,  and  dis> 
appeared  in  the  door  of  the  anteroom. 

Count  Haugwitz  heaved  a  profound  sigh,  and  wiped  off  the 
perspiration  pearling  in  large  drops  on  his  brow.  He  then  took  the 
king's  letter  from  his  side-pocket  and  perused  it  once  more. 

"It  is  the  king's  handwriting,"  he  said,  shaking  his  head,  "and 
it  is  also  his  peculiar  laconic  style. "  And,  as  if  to  satisfy  himself 
by  hearing  the  contents  of  the  letter,  he  read  aloud  : 

"Do  not  enter  into  any  negotiations  with  the  ambassadors  of 
Russia  and  Great  Britain.  We  will  hold  another  council  of  war.  I 
am  on  my  way  to  Berlin.  Within  an  hour  after  receipt  of  these 
lines,  I  shall  expect  to  see  you  in  my  cabinet.  Yours,  affection- 
ately, 

"FREDERICK  WILLIAM." 

"  Yes,  yes,  the  king  has  written  that, "  said  Haugwitz,  folding 
the  letter ;  "  I  must  hastily  dress,  therefore,  and  repair  to  the  palace. 
I  am  anxious  to  know  whence  this  new  wind  is  blowing,  and  who 
has  succeeded  in  persuading  the  king  to  change  his  mind.  Should 
my  old  friend,  Kockeritz,  after  all,  be  favorable  to  France?  It 
would  have  been  better  for  him  to  inform  me  confidentially,  and  we 
might  have  easily  agreed ;  for  I  am  by  no  means  hostile  to  France, 
and  I  am  quite  ready  to  vote  for  peace,  if  there  be  a  chance  to 
maintain  it.  Or  should  the  young  king  really  have  come  to  this 
conclusion  without  being  influenced  by  anybody?  Why,  that  would 
be  a  dangerous  innovation !  We  should  take  quick  and  decisive 
steps  against  it.  Well,  we  will  see  !  I  will  go  and  dress. " 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

THE   FRIEND  OF  PEACE. 

THE  king,  with  his  wonted  punctuality,  had  reached  Berlin  pre- 
cisely at  the  specified  time,  and  when  Count  Haugwitz  arrived  at 
the  palace  he  was  immediately  conducted  to  the  king,  who  was 
waiting  for  him  in  his  cabinet. 

Count  Haugwitz  exchanged  a  rapid  glance  with  Baron  Kockeritz, 
who  was  standing  in  a  bay  window,  and  then  approached  the  king, 
who  was  pacing  the  room  with  slow  steps  and  a  gloomy  air. 

He  nodded  to  the  minister,  and  silently  continued  his  promenade 
across  the  room  for  some  time  after  his  arrival.  He  then  stepped  to 
his  desk,  which  was  covered  with  papers  and  documents,  and  sit- 
ting down  on  a  plain  cane  chair  in  front  of  it,  he  invited  the  gentle- 
men to  take  seats  by  his  side. 


THE  FRIEND  OF  PEACE.  247 

"  The  courier  reached  you  in  time,  I  suppose  ?"  he  said,  turning 
to  Count  Haugwitz. 

"  Your  majesty,  your  royal  letter  reached  me  while  holding  a 
conference  with  the  ambassadors  of  Russia  and  Great  Britain,  and 
just  when  I  was  about  to  inform  them  of  your  majesty's  resolution 
to  join  the  coalition. " 

"You  had  not  done  so,  then?"  asked  the  king,  hastily.  "It  was 
your  first  conference,  then?" 

"Yes,  your  majesty,  it  was  our  first  conference.  I  invited  the 
ambassadors  immediately  after  my  return  to  call  on  me. " 

"  It  took  you,  then,  two  weeks  to  travel  from  Minden  to  Berlin  !" 

"  Yes,  your  majesty,  two  weeks. " 

"And  yet  these  gentlemen  are  in  favor  of  an  advance  of  the 
army !"  exclaimed  the  king,  vehemently.  "  Yes,  if  all  of  my  sol- 
diers were  encamped  directly  on  the  frontier  of  Holland  and  had 
their  base  of  supplies  there  !  But  in  order  to  send  a  sufficient  army 
to  Holland,  I  should  have  to  withdraw  a  portion  of  my  soldiers 
from  the  provinces  of  Silesia  and  Prussia.  They  would  have  to 
march  across  Westphalia,  across  the  same  Westphalia  where  it  took 
you  with  your  carriage  two  weeks  to  travel  from  Minden  to  Berlin. 
And  my  soldiers  have  no  other  carriages  but  their  feet.  They 
would  stick  in  that  dreadful  mire  by  hundreds  and  thousands  ;  they 
would  perish  there  of  hunger,  and  that  march  would  cost  me  more 
men  than  a  great,  decisive  battle.  I  had  given  you  my  word  that  I 
would  join  the  coalition,  Count  Haugwitz ;  I  had  even  authorized 
you  to  negotiate  with  the  ambassadors  of  Russia  and  Great  Britain, 
but  on  the  road  to  Wesel  I  was  obliged  to  change  my  mind.  Ask 
Baron  Kockeritz  what  we  had  to  suffer  on  the  first  day  of  our  jour- 
ney, and  how  far  we  had  got  after  twelve  hours'  travelling." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  it  was  a  terrible  trip, "  said  General  von  Kockeritz, 
heaving  a  sigh.  "  In  spite  of  the  precautions  of  the  coachman,  his 
majesty's  carriage  was  upset  five  times  in  a  single  day,  and  finally 
it  stuck  so  firmly  in  the  mud  that  we  had  to  send  for  assistance  to 
the  neighboring  villages  in  order  to  set  it  going  once  more.  We 
were  twelve  hours  on  the  road,  and  made  only  three  German  miles 
during  that  time. " 

"  And  we  had  to  stop  over  night  in  a  miserable  village,  where  we 
scarcely  found  a  bed  to  rest  our  bruised  and  worn-out  limbs, "  said 
the  king,  indignantly.  "And  I  should  expose  my  army  to  such 
fatigues  and  sufferings !  I  should,  heedless  of  all  consideration  of 
humanity,  and  solely  in  obedience  to  political  expediency,  suffer 
them  to  perish  in  those  endless  marshes,  that  would  destroy  tka 
artillery  and  the  horses  of  the  cavalry.  And  all  that  for  what  purA 
pose?  In  order  to  drag  Prussia  violently  into  a  war  which  might 


248  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

be  avoided  by  prudence  and  by  a  sagacious  reserve ;  in  order  to 
hasten  to  the  assistance  of  other  powers  not  even  threatened  by 
France,  and  only  in  return  to  draw  upon  ourselves  her  wrath  and 
enmity !" 

"  But  at  the  same  time  the  sympathies  of  all  Europe, "  said  Gen- 
eral von  Kockeritz,  eagerly.  "  Your  majesty  has  permitted  me  to 
speak  my  mind  at  all  times  openly  and  honestly,  and  I  must  there- 
fore persist  in  what  I  previously  said  to  you.  Now  or  never  is  the 
time  for  Prussia  to  give  up  her  neutrality,  and  to  assume  a  decided 
attitude.  France  has  placed  herself  in  antagonism  with  all  law 
and  order,  and  with  all  treaties  consecrated  by  centuries  of  faithful 
observance  ;  she  is  threatening  all  monarchies  and  dynasties,  and  is 
trying  to  win  over  the  nations  to  her  republican  ideas.  And  at  the 
head  of  this  French  Republic  there  is  a  young  general,  whose  glory 
is  filling  the  whole  world,  who  has  attached  victory  to  his  colors, 
and  who  intoxicates  the  nations  by  his  republican  phrases  of  liberty 
and  fraternity,  so  that,  in  their  mad  joy,  they  overturn  thrones, 
expel  their  sovereigns,  and  awake  them  from  their  ecstasy  under 
the  republican  yoke  of  France.  Your  majesty,  I  believe  it  to  be 
the  duty  of  every  prince  to  preserve  his  people  from  such  errors, 
and,  jointly  with  his  people,  to  raise  a  bulwark  against  the  evil  de- 
signs of  France.  Austria  and  Russia  have  already  begun  this  holy 
task  ;  their  heroic  armies  have  driven  back  on  all  sides  the  hosts  of 
the  overbearing  French,  who  have  been  compelled  to  abandon  their 
conquests  in  Italy  and  Switzerland.  If  your  majesty  should  join 
England,  occupy  Holland,  restore  that  country  to  its  legitimate 
sovereign,  and  menace  the  northern  frontier  of  France,  while  Aus- 
tria is  menacing  her  southern  frontier,  the  arrogance  of  the  republic 
would  be  tamed,  the  overflowing  torrent  would  be  forced  back  into 
its  natural  bed,  and  Europe  would  have  at  last  peace  and  tran- 
quillity." 

"First  of  all,  every  one  ought  to  think  of  himself,"  said  the 
king,  sharply.  "Prussia  has  hitherto  enjoyed  peace  and  tranquil- 
lity, and  I  believe  it  to  be  my  principal  task  to  preserve  these  bless- 
ings to  my  country.  I  am  na  ruler  hankering  after  glory  and 
honors ;  I  do  not  want  to  make  any  conquests,  nor  to  acquire  any 
new  territory,  but  I  will  content  myself  with  the  humble  renown 
of  having  fulfilled  my  duties  as  a  ruler  to  the  best  of  my  ability, 
and  according  to  the  dictates  of  my  conviction,  as  the  father  and 
friend  of  my  people.  Hence  I  have  not  dared  to  identify  my  name 
with  that  of  my  great  ancestor,  Frederick  the  Second,  and  call  my- 
self Frederick  the  Third,  for  a  name  imposes  obligations,  and  I 
know  very  well  that  I  am  no  hero  and  genius,  like  Frederick  the 
Great.  I  assumed,  therefore,  the  name  of  Frederick  William,  as 


THE  FRIEND  OF  PEACE.  249 

the  successor  of  my  peaceable  father,  Frederick  William  the  Second. 
It  is  true,  Frederick  William  the  Second  has  waged  a  war 
against  France,  but  precisely  that  war  has  satisfied  me  that  a  war 
with  France  may  involve  Prussia  in  the  greatest  dangers  and 
calamities.  I  participated  in  the  campaign  of  1792,  gentlemen, 
and  I  must  honestly  confess  that  I  feel  little  inclination  to  resume 
a  war  which,  at  best,  will  only  produce  sacrifices  for  us,  and  no 
reward  whatever." 

"There  is  a  reward,  however,  your  majesty,"  said  Count  Haug- 
witz,  solemnly.  "It  is  the  preservation  of  the  thrones,  and  of 
monarchical  principles.  We  cannot  fail  to  perceive  that  the  thrones 
are  being  menaced,  and  those  republics  of  America,  France,  and 
Italy  are  teaching  the  nations  very  dangerous  lessons — the  lessons 
of  self-government  and  popular  sovereignty.  That  insatiable  Gen- 
eral Bonaparte  has  attached  these  two  words  to  his  colors,  and  if 
the  princes  do  not  combat  him  with  united  strength,  and  try  to 
take  those  colors  from  him,  he  will  soon  carry  them  into  the  midst 
of  all  nations,  who  will  rapturously  hail  him,  and  desire  to  follow 
the  example  of  France. " 

"  I  have  no  fears  for  myself, "  said  the  king,  calmly  ;  "  but  even 
if  I  should  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  obliged  to  doubt  the  love  and 
fidelity  of  my  people,  the  thought  of  my  personal  safety  and  of  the 
fate  of  my  dynasty  ought  not  to  exert  a  decisive  influence  upon  my 
resolutions  concerning  the  welfare  of  my  country.  I  told  you  be- 
fore, I  want  to  be  the  father  of  my  country ;  a  good  father  always 
thinks  first  of  the  welfare  of  his  children,  and  tries  to  promote  it ; 
only  when  he  has  succeeded  in  doing  so  he  thinks  of  himself. " 

"  A  good  father  ought  to  strive,  first  of  all,  to  preserve  himself  to 
his  children, "  exclaimed  Count  Haugwitz.  "  An  orphan  people  is 
as  unfortunate  as  are  orphan  children.  Your  people  need  you,  sire ; 
they  need  a  wise  and  gentle  hand  to  direct  them. " 

"  And  yet  you  want  to  put  the  sword  in  my  hand,  and  that  I 
should  lead  my  people  to  war  and  carnage, "  said  the  king. 

"  In  order  to  make  peace  bloom  forth  from  war  and  carnage, "  said 
Count  Haugwitz,  gravely.  "  The  bloody  monster  of  war  is  stalking 
now  through  the  whole  world,  and,  as  it  cannot  be  avoided,  it  is 
better  to  attack  it,  and  to  confront  it  in  a  bold  manner.  Russia, 
Austria,  and  England  are  ready  to  do  so,  and  they  stretch  out  their 
hands  toward  you.  Refuse  to  grasp  them,  and,  for  the  doubtful 
and  dangerous  friendship  of  France,  you  will  have  gained  three 
powerful  enemies." 

"  And  if  I  grasp  their  hands  I  shall  not  advance  the  interests  of 
Prussia  by  shedding  the  blood  of  my  people,  but  only  those  of  Aus- 
tria and  Russia, "  replied  the  king.  "  If  France  should  be  greatly 


250  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

weakened,  or  even  entirely  annihilated,  serious  dangers  would  arise 
for  Prussia,  for  Austria  and  Russia  would  unite  in  that  case,  for  the 
purpose  of  menacing  our  own  security.  They  would  easily  and 
quickly  find  compensations  for  themselves,  and  Austria  especially 
would  profit  by  the  losses  of  France ;  for  she  would  recover  the 
Netherlands,  which  Prussia  is  to  conquer  now  by  the  blood  of  her 
soldiers,  and  acquire,  perhaps,  even  Bavaria.  But  what  compensa- 
tion would  fall  to  the  share  of  Prussia?  Or  do  you  believe,  perhaps, 
Austria,  from  a  feeling  of  gratitude  toward  us,  would  cede  to  Prus- 
sia a  portion  of  her  former  hereditary  possessions  in  the  Nether- 
lands? No,  no — no  war  with  France  !  Let  Russia  and  Austria  fight 
alone ;  they  are  strong  enough  for  it.  I  say  all  this  after  mature 
deliberation,  and  this  is  not  only  my  opinion,  but  also  that  of  dis- 
tinguished and  experienced  generals.  General  von  Tempelhof, 
too,  is  of  my  opinion,  and  confirmed  it  in  a  memorial  which  I 
asked  him  to  draw  up  for  me. " 

"  Your  majesty  requested  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  also,  to  write 
a  memorial  on  the  intended  coalition  against  France, "  said  General 
von  Kockeritz,  hastily.  "  On  our  arrival  I  received  this  memorial 
and  read  it,  according  to  your  majesty's  orders.  The  duke  persists 
in  the  opinion  that  it  is  necessary  for  the  honor,  glory,  and  safety 
of  Prussia  to  join  the  coalition,  and  to  oppose  France  in  a  deter- 
mined manner.  Your  majesty,  I  must  confess  that  I  share  the  view 
maintained  by  the  duke. " 

"So  do  I !"  exclaimed  Count  Haugwitz,  "and  so  do  all  your  sub- 
jects. Sire,  your  whole  people  ardently  desire  to  chastise  this 
arrogant  France,  and  to  sweep  these  hosts  of  Jacobins  from  the  soil 
of  Germany.  Oh,  my  king  and  lord,  only  make  a  trial,  only  raise 
your  voice  and  call  upon  the  people  to  rally  around  your  standards, 
and  to  wage  war  against  France !  You  will  see. them  rally  enthusi- 
astically around  the  Prussian  eagles  and  fervently  bless  their  cour- 
ageous king.  And  when  you  begin  this  struggle,  sire,  you  and 
your  army  will  have  a  formidable,  an  invincible  ally.  That  ally 
is  public  opinion,  sire!  Public  opinion  requires  this  war,  and 
public  opinion  is  no  longer  something  dumb  and  creeping  in  the 
dark,  but  something  that  has  a  voice,  and  that  raises  it  in  ringing, 
thundering  notes  in  the  newspaper  and  magazine.  One  of  these 
voices  spoke  a  few  weeks  ago  in  the  Political  Journal,  as  follows : 
'Can  our  monarch  abandon  the  German  empire?  Can  he  look  on 
quietly  while  France  is  making  preparations  for  attacking  Prussia 
as  soon  as  her  turn  shall  come?  It  is  only  necessary  for  us  to  think 
of  Italy,  Switzerland,  and  Holland  in  order  to  appreciate  the  friend- 
ship of  France. '  *  This  voice  has  reSchoed  throughout  Prussia,  and 
*  "  Political  Journal."  Berlin,  1798. 


THE  FRIEND  OF  PEACE.  251 

every  one  is  looking  up  to  the  throne  of  your  majesty  anxiously  and 
hopefully ;  every  one  is  satisfied  that  you  will  draw  the  sword  for 
the  honor  and  rights  of  Germany.  Sire,  at  this  moment  I  am  noth- 
ing but  the  voice  of  your  people,  and  therefore  I  implore  your  majesty 
to  take  a  bold  and  manful  resolution.  Draw  the  sword  for  Prussia's 
honor  and  Germany's  safety." 

"  I  implore  your  majesty  likewise  to  do  so, "  exclaimed  General 
von  Kockeritz.  "  I  dare  to  implore  your  majesty,  in  the  name  of 
your  people.  Oh,  sire,  take  a  bold  and  manly  resolution !  Draw 
the  sword  for  Prussia's  honor  and  Germany's  safety." 

The  king  had  risen  and  paced  the  room  with  violent  steps.  His 
features,  usually  so  quiet  and  gentle,  were  not  uneasy  and  agitated  ; 
a  gloomy  cloud  covered  his  brow,  and  a  painful  expression  trembled 
on  his  lips.  He  seemed  to  carry  on  a  violent  and  desperate  inward 
struggle,  and  his  breath  issued  painfully  and  gaspingly  from  his 
breast.  Finally,  after  a  long  pause,  he  approached  the  two  gentle- 
men who  had  risen  and  were  looking  at  him  with  evident  anxiety. 

"I  am  unable  to  refute  all  these  reasons,"  said  the  king,  sighing, 
"  but  an  inward  voice  tells  me  that  I  ought  not  to  break  my  word, 
and  commence  hostilities.  If  the  welfare  of  the  state  requires  it, 
however,  I  shall  join  the  coalition,  but  only  on  condition  that  the 
Austrians  attack  Mentz  in  force,  take  the  fortress  by  assault,  and 
thereby  cover  the  left  flank  of  my  base  of  operations.  *  And  now 
we  will  close  our  consultation  for  to-day.  Go,  Count  Haugwitz,  and 
resume  your  negotiations  with  the  ambassadors  of  Russia  and  Great 
Britain.  As  for  you,  General  von  Kockeritz,  I  beg  you  to  bring 
me  the  memorial  of  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  and  then  you  may 
return  to  your  house  and  take  some  rest,  of  which  you  doubtless 
stand  greatly  in  need  after  the  fatigues  you  have  undergone. " 

He  greeted  the  gentlemen  with  a  hasty  nod  and  turned  his  back 
to  them,  without  paying  any  attention  to  the  deep  and  reverential 
bows  with  which  the  minister  and  the  general  withdrew  toward  the 
door. 

When  the  two  gentlemen  had  reached  the  anteroom,  they  satis- 
fied themselves  by  a  rapid  glance  that  they  were  alone,  and  that  no- 
body was  able  to  hear  them.  x 

"He  was  quite  angry,"  whispered  General  von  Kockeritz;  "he 
only  yielded  with  the  utmost  reluctance ;  and,  believe  me,  my 
friend,  the  king  will  never  forgive  us  this  victory  we  have  obtained 
over  him  ;  it  may  produce  the  worst  results  and  endanger  our  whole 
position." 

"  It  is  true, "  said  Count  Haugwitz,  sighing,  "  the  king  dismissed 

*The  king's  own  words.— Vide  "  Memoiren  zur  Qeschichte  des  Preuss.  Staats." 
By  Col.  Massenbach.    Vol.  iii.,  p.  88. 


252  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

us  in  a  more  abrupt  and  harsh  manner  than  ever  before.  It  would 
have  been  better  for  us  to  yield,  and  let  the  king  have  his  own  way. 
Who  knows  but  he  is  right,  and  an  alliance  with  France,  perhaps, 
would  be  more  advantageous  than  this  coalition  with  Austria  and 
Russia?  It  startles  me  somewhat  that  Austria  should  be  so  anxious 
to  obtain  the  accession  of  Prussia  to  the  coalition,  for  Austria  cer- 
tainly would  feel  no  inclination  to  propose  any  alliance  that  might 
prove  profitable  to  Prussia.  It  may  be  best  for  Prussia,  after  all,  to 
side  with  France. " 

"  But  public  opinion  would  execrate  such  an  alliance, "  said  Gen- 
eral von  Kockeritz,  sighing.  u  Public  opinion — " 

"My  dear  friend, "  interrupted  Count  Haugwitz,  angrily,  "public 
opinion  is  like  the  wind,  changing  its  direction  every  day.  Success 
alone  influences  and  decides  public  opinion,  and  if  France  should 
vanquish  the  three  powers,  the  same  public  opinion  which  now  urges 
us  to  join  the  coalition  would  condemn  us.  Public  opinion  should 
not  induce  us  to  endanger  our  position  and  our  power  over  the  king 
for  its  sake.  And  I  tell  you,  I  am  uneasy  about  this  matter.  The 
king  was  greatly  irritated ;  he  seemed  angry  with  us,  because  he 
felt  that  he  is  not  entirely  free  and  independent,  and  that  he  has 
granted  us  some  power  over  his  decisions. " 

"We  should  yield  even  now,"  said  General  von  Kockeritz,  anx- 
iously. "We  should  confess  to  the  king  that  his  reasons  have  con- 
vinced us,  that  we  have  been  mistaken — " 

"  So  that  he  would  feel  with  twofold  force  that  not  his  own  free 
will,  but  our  altered  opinion,  decided  his  action?"  asked  the  minis- 
ter. "No,  we  must  give  the  king  a  chance  to  decide  the  whole 
question  by  his  own  untrammelled  authority,  and  to  prove  that  he 
alone  is  the  ruler  of  Prussia's  destinies.  You  can  give  him  the 
best  opportunity  for  so  doing,  for  you  have  a  pretext  to  return  to 
him  at  once.  Did  not  the  king  order  you  to  bring  him  the  memorial 
of  the  Duke  of  Brunswick?" 

"Good  Heaven !  that  is  true  ;  the  king  is  waiting  for  the  memo- 
rial !"  exclaimed  the  general,  in  terror.  "  In  my  anxiety,  I  even 
forgot  his  orders. " 

"Hasten^my  friend,  to  bring  it  at  once  to  him,"  said  Count 
Haugwitz,  "  and  with  your  leave  I  shall  take  a  little  rest  in  the  room 
which  the  king  has  been  kind  enough  to  assign  to  you  here  in  the 
palace.  He  will  perhaps  countermand  the  instructions  he  has  just 
given  me. " 

A  few  minutes  afterward  General  von  Kockeritz,  with  the  me- 
morial in  his  hands,  reentered  the  cabinet  of  the  king,  who  was 
still  slowly  pacing  the  room,  without  noticing  the  arrival  of  his 
adviser. 


THE  FRIEND  OF  PEACE.  253 

"  Your  majesty, "  said  the  general,  timidly,  "  here  is  the  memorial 
of  Ferdinand,  duke  of  Brunswick. " 

"Just  lay  it  on  my  desk  there, "  said  the  king,  continuing  his 
promenade. 

General  von  Kockeritz  stepped  to  the  desk  and  placed  the  me- 
morial on  it.  Just  at  that  moment  the  king  had  arrived  at  the  desk 
too,  and  paused  in  front  of  the  general.  He  fixed  a  long  and 
mournful  glance  upon  him  and  slowly  shook  his  head. 

"  You  have  deserted  me  also, "  said  the  king,  sighing.  "  You 
may  be  right,  gentlemen.  I  have  yielded  to  your  more  profound 
sagacity  for  the  time  being,  but  an  inward  voice  tells  me  that  it  is 
wrong  to  break  the  peace  because  France  at  the  present  time  is  being 
threatened  on  all  sides,  and  because  her  armies  have  been  defeated. " 

"Your  majesty  alone  has  to  decide  the  whole  question,"  said 
Kockeritz,  solemnly.  "Your  conviction  is  our  law,  and  we  submit 
in  dutiful  obedience  to  your  majesty's  more  profound  sagacity.  It 
is  for  you  to  command,  and  for  us  to  obey. " 

A  sudden  gleam  beamed  in  the  eyes  of  the  king,  and  a  deeper 
blush  mantled  his  cheeks.  The  general  saw  it,  and  comprehended 
it  very  well. 

"  Moreover, "  he  added,  with  downcast  eyes  and  with  an  air  of 
confusion,  "  moreover,  I  have  to  make  a  confession  to  your  majesty 
in  my  own  name  and  in  that  of  Count  Haugwitz.  While  trying  to 
win  your  majesty  by  our  arguments  for  the  war  and  for  the  coali- 
tion, it  has  happened  to  us  that  we  were  converted  by  the  arguments 
your  majesty  adduced  against  the  war  and  against  the  coalition, 
and  that  your  majesty  convinced  us  of  the  fallacy  of  our  opinion. 
It  is,  perhaps,  very  humiliating  to  admit  that  our  conviction  has 
veered  around  so  suddenly,  but  your  majesty's  convincing  elo- 
quence— " 

"  No,  not  my  poor  eloquence,  but  the  truth  has  convinced  you, " 
exclaimed  the  king,  joyfully,  "and  I  thank  you  for  having  the  truly 
manly  and  noble  courage  to  admit  that  you  were  mistaken  and  have 
changed  your  mind.  I  am  grateful  to  Count  Haugwitz,  too,  and  I 
shall  never  forget  this  generous  and  highly  honorable  confession  of 
yours.  It  is  a  new  proof  for  me  that  you  are  faithful  and  reliable 
friends  and  servants  of  mine,  men  who  are  not  ashamed  of  acknowl- 
edging an  error,  and  who  care  more  for  the  welfare  of  the  state  than 
for  carrying  their  own  point.  I  therefore  withdraw  my  previous 
instructions.  I  shall  not  join  the  coalition.  Hasten  to  Haugwitz, 
my  friend.  Tell  him  to  go  forthwith  to  the  Russian  ambassador 
and  inform  him  that  my  army  will  not  assist  the  forces  of  the  coali- 
tion, and  that  I  shall  take  no  part  whatever  in  the  war  against 
France.  Haugwitz  is  to  say  the  same  to  the  English  ambassador, 


254  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

and  to  inform  him  that  I  shall  not  claim  the  subsidy  of  six  million 
dollars,  which  England  offered  to  pay  me  for  my  auxiliary  army. 
Six  million  dollars  \  I  believe  General  Tempelhof  was  right  when 
he  said  the  siege  of  a  second-rate  fortress  would  cost  a  million  dol- 
lars, and  in  Holland  we  should  have  to  take  more  than  ten  fortresses 
from  the  stubborn  and  intrepid  French.  This  would  cost  us  more 
than  ten  million  dollars,  and,  moreover,  we  should  have  to  use  up 
the  powder  and  ammunition  destined  for  our  own  defence.  Those 
six  million  dollars  that  England  would  pay  me  would  not  cover  our 
outlay ;  I  should  be  obliged  to  add  four  million  dollars  more,  and 
to  shed  the  blood  of  my  brave  and  excellent  soldiers  without  obtain- 
ing, perhaps,  even  the  slightest  advantage  for  Prussia.  Hasten, 
general,  to  communicate  my  fixed  and  irrevocable  resolution  to 
Count  Haugwitz.  Prussia  remains  neutral,  and  takes  no  part 
whatever  in  the  war  against  France  1" 

"  I  hasten  to  carry  out  your  majesty's  orders, "  exclaimed  General 
von  Kockeritz,  walking  toward  the  door,  "and  I  know  that  Count 
Haugwitz  will  submit  to  the  royal  decision  with  the  same  joyful 
humility  and  obedience  as  myself. " 

The  king's  eyes  followed  him  with  an  expression  of  genuine 
emotion. 

"He  is  a  faithful  and  honest  friend, "  he  said,  "and  that  is,  in- 
deed, a  rare  boon  for  a  king.  Ah,  I  have  succeeded,  then,  in  averting 
this  bloody  thunder-cloud,  once  more  from  Prussia,  and  I  shall  pre- 
serve the  blessings  of  peace  to  my  people.  And  now,  I  believe,  I 
may  claim  some  credit  for  the  manner  in  which  I  have  managed 
this  delicate  affair,  and  repose  a  little  from  the  cares  of  government. 
I  will  go  to  Louisa — her  sight  and  the  smiles  of  my  children  will 
reward  me  for  having  done  my  duty  as  a  king. " 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

THE  LEGITIMATE  WIFE. 

THE  Prince  von  Reuss,  Henry  XIV.,  Austrian  ambassador  at 
Berlin,  had  died  an  hour  ago.  A  painful  disease  had  confined  him 
to  his  bed  for  weeks,  and  Marianne  Meier  had  nursed  him  during 
this  time  with  the  greatest  love  and  devotion.  She  had  never  left 
his  bedside,  and  no  one  except  herself,  the  physicians,  and  a  few 
servants  had  been  permitted  to  enter  the  sick  room.  The  brothers 
and  nephews  of  the  prince,  who  had  come  to  Berlin  in  order  to  see 
their  dying  relative  once  more,  had  vainly  solicited  this  favor. 
The  physicians  had  told  them  that  the  suffering  prince  was  un- 


THE  LEGITIMATE  WIFE.  255 

/  able  to  bear  any  excitement,  there  being  great  danger  that  imme- 
diate death  would  be  the  consequence  of  a  scene  between  them. 
The  prince,  moreover,  had  sent  his  trusted  valet  de  chambre  to  his 
brother,  and  informed  him,  even  if  he  were  entirely  well,  he  would 
not  accept  the  visits  of  a  brother  who  had  shown  him  so  little  fra- 
ternal love,  and  caused  him  so  much  grief  by  opposing  his  faithful 
and  beloved  friend  Marianne  Meier  in  the  most  offensive  and  insult- 
ing manner. 

The  distinguished  relatives  of  the  prince,  therefore,  had  to  con- 
tent themselves  with  watching  his  palace  from  afar,  and  with 
bribing  a  few  of  his  servants  to  transmit  to  them  hourly  reports 
about  the  condition  of  the  patient. 

And  now  Prince  Henry  XIV.  was  dead,  and  his  brother  was  his 
successor  and  heir,  the  prince  having  left  no  legitimate  offspring. 
It  was  universally  believed  that  he  had  never  been  married,  and 
that  his  immense  fortune,  his  estates  and  titles,  would  devolve  on 
his  brother.  It  is  true  there  was  still  that  mistress  of  his,  fair 
Marianne  Meier,  to  whom  the  prince,  in  his  sentimental  infatua- 
tion, had  paid  the  honors  of  a  legitimate  wife.  But,  of  course,  she 
had  no  claims  whatever  to  the  inheritance ;  it  would  be  an  act  of 
generosity  to  leave  her  in  possession  of  the  costly  presents  the  prince 
had  made  to  her,  and  to  pay  her  a  small  pension. 

The  prince  had  hardly  closed  his  eyes,  therefore,  and  the  doctors 
had  just  pronounced  him  dead,  when  "his  brother,  now  Prince  Henry 
XV. ,  accompanied  by  a  few  lawyers,  entered  the  palace  of  the  de- 
ceased in  order  to  take  possession  of  his  property,  and  to  have  the 
necessary  seals  applied  to  the  doors.  However,  to  give  himself  at 
least  a  semblance  of  brotherly  love,  the  prince  desired  first  to  repair 
to  the  death-room,  and  to  take  a  last  leave  of  the  deceased.  But  in 
the  anteroom  he  met  the  two  footmen  of  his  brother,  who  dared  to 
stop  his  passage,  telling  him  that  no  one  was  allowed  to  enter. 

"  And  who  dares  to  issue  such  orders  ?"  asked  the  prince,  without 
stopping  a  moment. 

"  Madame  has  done  so, "  said  the  first  valet  de  cJiambre.  "  Ma- 
dame wants  to  be  alone  with  the  remains  of  her  husband." 

The  prince  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and,  followed  by  the  legal 
gentlemen,  he  walked  to  the  door,  which  he  vainly  tried  to  open. 

"  I  believe  that  woman  has  locked  the  door, "  said  the  prince, 
angrily. 

"Yes,  sir,  madame  has  locked  the  door,"  said  the  valet  de 
chambre;  "  she  does  not  want  to  be  disturbed  in  her  grief  by  mere 
visits  of  condolence. " 

"  Well,  let  us  leave  her,  then,  to  her  grief, "  exclaimed  the  prince, 
with  a  sarcastic  smile.  "Come,  gentlemen,  let  us  attend  to  our 


256  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

business.  Let  us  take  an  inventory  of  the  furniture  in  the  several 
rooms  and  then  seal  them.  You  may  be  our  guide,  valet. " 

But  the  valet  de  chambre  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  shook  his 
head.  "  Pardon  me,  sir,  that  is  impossible.  His  highness,  our  late 
prince  and  master,  several  days  ago,  when  he  felt  that  his  end  was 
drawing  near,  caused  every  room  to  be  locked  and  sealed  by  the  first 
attache  of  the  legation  in  the  presence  of  all  the  members  of  the 
embassy.  The  keys  to  all  the  rooms,  however,  were  handed  by 
order  of  the  prince  to  madame,  his  wife. " 

The  new  prince,  Henry  XV. ,  turned  somewhat  uneasily  to  the 
legal  gentlemen. 

"  Have  we  a  right  to  open  the  doors  forcibly  ?" 

"  No,  that  would  be  contrary  to  law, "  said  one  of  the  lawyers,  in 
a  low  voice.  "  The  late  prince  has  doubtless  left  some  directions  in 
relation  to  this  matter  and  intrusted  them  to  the  officers  of  the  lega- 
tion. Your  highness  ought  to  apply  to  those  gentlemen." 

"  Is  the  first  attache  of  the  legation,  Baron  Werdern,  in  the  pal- 
ace?" said  the  prince  to  the  valet  de  chambre. 

"  No,  your  highness,  he  has  just  gone  out  with  a  few  other  gentle- 
men of  the  legation  to  request  the  attendance  of -two  officers  of  the 
law,  that  the  will  may  be  opened  and  read  in  their  presence. " 

"My  brother  has  made  a  will,  then?"  asked  the  prince,  in  a 
somewhat  frightened  tone. 

"  Yes,  your  highness,  and  he  laid  it,  in  the  presence  of  every 
member  of  the  legation,  of  two  officers  of  the  law,  and  of  every 
servant,  three  days  ago,  in  a  strong  box,  the  key  of  which  he  handed 
to  the  officers  of  the  law,  when  the  box  was  deposited  in  the 
archives  of  the  legation. " 

"  And  why  did  Baron  Werdern  go  now  for  the  officers  of  the  law  ?" 

"In  order  to  request  their  attendance  in  the  palace,  the  late 
prince  having  left  the  verbal  order  that  his  will  should  be  opened 
two  hours  after  his  death.  The  baron  was  going  to  invite  your 
highness  likewise  to  be  present. " 

"  Well,  let  us  wait  here  for  the  arrival  of  the  gentlemen, "  said 
Prince  Henry  XV.,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "It  seems  a  little 
strange  to  me,  however,  that  I  must  wait  here  in  the  anteroom  like 
a  supplicant.  Go  and  announce  my  visit  to  madame  !" 

The  valet  de  chambre  bowed  and  left  the  room.  The  prince 
called  the  two  lawyers  to  his  side.  "  What  do  you  think  of  this 
whole  matter?"  he  asked,  in  a  low  voice. 

The  two  representatives  of  the  law  shrugged  their  shoulders. 
"Your  highness,  every  thing  seems  to  have  been  done  here  legally. 
We  must  wait  for  the  return  of  the  gentlemen  and  for  the  opening 
of  thewilL" 


THE  LEGITIMATE  WIFE.  257 

The  valet  de  chambre  now  reentered  the  room,  and  approached 
the  prince.  "Madame  sends  her  respects  to  the  prince,  and  begs 
him  to  excuse  her  inability  to  admit  her  brother-in-law  just  now, 
as  she  is  dressing  at  the  present  moment.  She  wilt  have  the  honor 
to  salute  her  gracious  brother-in-law  at  the  ceremony." 

"Does  that  woman  call  myself  her  gracious  brother-in-law?" 
asked  the  prince,  with  an  air  of  the  most  profound  contempt,  turn- 
ing his  back  to  the  valet  de  chambre.  "  We  will  wait  here,  then, 
gentlemen,"  he  added,  turning  to  the  lawyers.  "It  seems  that 
woman  intends  to  take  a  petty  revenge  at  this  moment  for  the  con- 
tempt with  which  I  have  always  treated  her.  I  shall  know,  how- 
ever, how  to  chastise  her  for  it,  and — " 

"Hush,  your  highness, "  whispered  one  of  the  lawyers,  "they  are 
coming !" 

In  fact,  the  large  fold  ing -doors  were  opened  at  that  moment, 
and  on  a  catafalque,  hung  with  black  cloth,  the  remains  of  the 
prince  were  lying  in  state ;  on  both  sides  of  the  catafalque  large 
tapers  were  burning  in  heavy  silver  chandeliers. 

Prince  Henry,  awed  by  this  solemn  scene,  walked  forward,  and 
the  grave  countenance  of  his  brother,  with  whom  he  had  lived  so 
long  in  discord,  and  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  many  years,  filled 
his  heart  with  uneasiness  and  dismay. 

He  approached  the  room,  followed  by  the  legal  gentlemen,  with 
hesitating,  noiseless  steps.  On  the  threshold  of  the  door  there  now 
appeared  the  first  attache  of  the  legation,  Baron  Werdern,  who, 
bowing  deeply,  invited  the  prince  whisperingly  to  come  in. 

The  prince  walked  in,  and  on  crossing  the  threshold,  it  seemed 
to  him  as  if  his  brother's  corpse  had  moved,  and  as  if  his  half- 
opened  eyes  were  fixed  upon  him  with  a  threatening  expression. 

The  prince  averted  his  eyes  from  the  corpse  in  dismay  and  saluted 
the  gentlemen  standing  around  a  table  covered  with  black  cloth. 
Two  large  chandeliers,  with  burning  tapers,  a  strong  box,  and 
writing-materials,  had  been  placed  upon  this  table ;  on  one  side, 
two  arm-chairs,  likewise  covered  with  black  cloth,  were  to  be  seen. 

The  baron  conducted  the  prince  to  one  of  these  arm-chairs,  and 
invited  him  to  sit  down.  Prince  Henry  did  so,  and  then  looked 
anxiously  at  the  officers  of  the  law,  who  were  standing  at  the  table 
in  their  black  robes,  and  behind  whom  were  assembled  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  legation,  the  physicians,  and  the  servants  of  the  late 
prince. 

A  long  pause  ensued.  Then,  all  at  once,  the  folding-doors 
opened,  and  the  prince's  steward  appeared  on  the  threshold. 

"Her  highness  the  Princess  Dowager  von  Reuss, "  he  said,  in  a 
loud,  solemn  voice,  and  Marianne's  tall,  imposing  form  entered  the 


v 


258  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

room.  She  was  clad  in  a  black  dress  with  a  long  train ;  a  black 
veil,  fastened  above  her  head  on  a  diadem,  surrounded  her  noble 
figure  like  N  a  dark  cloud,  and  in  this  cloud  beamed  her  expansive, 
thoughtful  forehead,  and  her  large  flaming  eyes  sparkled.  Her 
features  were  breathing  the  most  profound  and  majestic  tranquillity  ; 
and  when  she  now  saluted  the  gentlemen  with  a  condescending  nod, 
her  whole  bearing  was  so  impressive  and  distinguished  that  even 
Prince  Henry  was  unable  to  remain  indifferent,  and  he  rose  respect- 
fully from  his  arm-chair. 

Marianne,  however,  paid  no  attention  to  him,  but  approached 
the  remains  of  her  husband.  With  inimitable  grace  she  knelt  down 
on  one  side  of  the  catafalque.  The  priest  who  had  entered  with  her 
knelt  down  on  the  other. 

Both  of  them  muttered  fervent  prayers  for  the  deceased.  Mari- 
anne then  arose,  and,  bending  over  the  corpse,  imprinted  a  long  kiss 
upon  the  forehead  of  her  departed  husband. 

"Farewell,  my  husband!"  she  said,  in  her  full,  melodious  voice, 
and  then  turned  around  and  stepped  toward  the  table.  Without 
deigning  to  glance  at  the  prince,  she  sat  down  in  the  arm-chair. 

"  I  request  the  officers  of  the  law  now  to  open  the  strong  box, " 
she  said,  in  an  almost  imperious  voice. 

One  of  the  officers  handed  the  key  to  Baron  Werdern  ;  the  latter 
opened  the  strong  box,  and  took  from  it  a  sealed  paper,  which  he 
gave  to  the  officer. 

"  Do  you  recognize  the  paper  as  the  same  yourself  locked  in  this 
strong  box?"  she  asked.  "Is  it  the  same  which  his  highness  the 
late  Prince  von  Reuss,  Henry  XIV.,  handed  to  you?" 

"  Yes,  it  is  the  same, "  said  the  two  officers  ;  "  it  is  the  will  of  the 
late  prince. " 

"  And  you  know  that  his  highness  ordered  us  to  open  it  immedi- 
ately after  his  death,  and  to  promulgate  its  contents.  Proceed, 
therefore,  according  to  the  instructions  of  the  deceased. " 

One  of  the  officers  broke  the  seal,  and  now  that  he  unfolded  the 
paper,  Marianne  turned  her  head  toward  the  prince,  and  fixed  her 
burning  eyes  piercingly  upon  his  countenance. 

The  officer  commenced  reading  the  will.  First  came  the  pream- 
ble, to  be  found  in  every  will,  and  then  the  officer  read  in  a  louder 
voice,  as  follows : 

"In  preparing  to  appear  before  the  throne  of  the  Lord,  I  feel 
especially  called  upon  to  return  my  most  heart- felt  thanks,  in  this 
public  manner,  to  my  wife,  Princess  Marianne,  n6e  Meier,  for  the 
constancy,  love,  and  devotion  which  she  has  shown  to  me  during 
our  whole  married  life,  and  for  the  surpassing  patience  and  self- 
abnegation  with  which  she  nursed  me  during  my  last  sickness.  I 


THE  LEGITIMATE  WIFE.  259 

deem  myself  especially  obliged  to  make  this  acknowledgment,  in- 
asmuch as  my  wife,  in  her  true  love  for  me,  has  suffered  many  un- 
deserved aspersions  and  insults,  because,  in  accordance  with  my 
wishes,  she  kept  our  marriage  secret,  and  in  consequence  had  to 
bear  the  sneers  of  evil-disposed  persons,  and  the  insults  of  malicious 
enemies.  But  she  is  my  lawful  wife  before  God  and  man,  and  she 
is  fully  entitled  to  assume  the  name  of  a  Princess  Dowager  von 
Reuss.  I  hereby  expressly  authorize  her  to  do  so,  and,  by  removing 
the  secret  that  has  been  observed  during  my  life  in  relation  to  our 
marriage,  I  authorize  my  wife  to  assume  the  title  and  rank  due  to 
her,  and  hereby  command  my  brother,  as  well  as  his  sons  and  the 
other  members  of  my  family,  to  pay  to  the  Princess  Dowager  von 
Eeuss,  nee  Meier,  the  respect  and  deference  due  to  her  as  the  widow 
of  the  late  head  of  the  family,  and  to  which  she  is  justly  entitled 
by  her  virtue,  her  blameless  conduct,  her  respectability,  beauty, 
and  amiability.  The  Princess  Dowager  von  Reuss  is  further  author- 
ized to  let  her  servants  wear  the  livery  and  color  of  my  house,  to 
display  the  coat-of-arms  of  the  princes  von  Reuss  on  her  carriages, 
and  to  enjoy  the  full  privileges  of  her  rank.  If  my  brother  Henry, 
the  heir  of  my  titles,  should  have  any  doubts  as  to  her  rights  in  this 
regard,  the  officer  reading  my  will  is  requested  to  ask  him  whether 
or  not  he  desires  to  obtain  further  evidence  in  relation  to  the  legiti- 
macy of  my  marriage. " 

"Does  your  highness  require  any  further  evidence?"  asked  the 
officer,  interrupting  the  reading  of  the  will. 

"  I  do, "  said  the  prince,  who  had  listened  to  the  reading  of  the 
will  with  a  pale  and  gloomy  mien. 

"Here  is  that  evidence,"  said  the  priest,  beckoning  the  sexton, 
who  stood  on  the  threshold  of  the  door.  The  latter  approached 
the  priest,  and  handed  him  a  large  volume  bound  in  black 
morocco. 

"  It  is  the  church  reigster,  in  which  I  have  entered  all  the  mar- 
riages, christenings,  and  funeral  masses  performed  in  the  chapel  of 
the  Austrian  embassy, "  said  the  priest.  "  On  this  page  you  find  the 
minutes  of  the  marriage  of  the  Prince  von  Reuss,  Henry  XIV. ,  and 
Miss  Marianne  Meier.  The  ceremony  took  place  two  years  ago.  I 
have  baptized  the  princess  myself,  and  thereby  received  her  into  the 
pale  of  the  holy  Catholic  Church,  and  I  have  likewise  performed  the 
rite  of  marriage  on  the  occasion  referred  to.  I  hereby  certify  that 
the  princess  is  the  lawful  wife  of  the  late  prince,  as  is  testified  by 
the  minutes  entered  on  the  church  register.  The  marriage  was  per- 
formed in  the  chapel,  and  in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  who  liave 
signed  the  minutes,  like  myself. " 

"  I  witnessed  the  marriage, "  said  Baron  Werdern,  "  and  so  did 
MUHLBACH — L  VOL.  7 


260  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

the  military  counsellor  Gentz,  who,  if  your  highness  should  desire 
further  testimony,  will  be  ready  to  corroborate  our  statements. " 

"  No, "  said  the  prince,  gloomily,  "  I  require  no  further  testimony. 
I  am  fully  satisfied  of  the  truth  of  your  statements,  and  will  now 
pay  my  respects  to  my  sister-in-law,  the  Princess  Dowager  von 
Reuss,  nee  Meier. " 

He  bowed,  with  a  sarcastic  smile,  which,  for  a  moment,  caused 
the  blood  to  rush  to  Marianne's  pale  cheeks,  and  then  carelessly 
leaned  back  into  his  arm-chair. 

"  Be  kind  enough  to  proceed, "  he  said,  turning  to  the  officer. 

The  latter  took  up  the  will  again  and  read  its  several  sections  and 
clauses.  The  prince  bequeathed  his  palace,  with  every  thing  in  it, 
to  his  wife  Marianne,  and  likewise  his  carriages,  his  horses,  and  the 
family  diamonds  he  had  inherited  from  his  mother.  The  remainder 
of  his  considerable  property  he  left  to  his  brother,  asking  him  to 
agree  with  the  Princess  Marianne  on  a  pension  corresponding  with 
her  rank  and  position  in  society.  Then  followed  some  legacies  and 
pensions  for  the  old  servants  of  his  household,  a  few  gifts  to  the 
poor,  and  last  the  appropriation  of  a  sum  for  which  a  mass  was  to 
be  read  on  every  anniversary  of  his  death,  for  the  peace  of  his  soul. 

The  ceremony  was  over.  The  officers  of  the  law  and  the  members 
of  the  embassy  had  left  the  death-room,  and  on  a  sign  from  Mari- 
anne the  servants  had  also  withdrawn. 

The  prince  had  exchanged  a  few  words  in  a  low  voice  with  his 
two  lawyers,  whereupon  they  likewise  had  left  the  room.  No  one 
except  the  brother  and  the  wife  of  the  deceased  remained  now  in 
this  gloomy  room,  illuminated  by  the  flickering  tapers.  Marianne, 
however,  seemed  to  take  no  notice  of  the  presence  of  her  brother-in- 
law  ;  she  had  approached  the  corpse  again,  and  gazed  at  it  with  the 
most  profound  emotion. 

"  I  thank  you,  Henry, "  she  said,  loudly  and  solemnly.  "  I  thank 
you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart ;  you  have  given  back  to  me  my 
honor ;  you  have  revenged  me  upon  your  haughty  relatives,  and 
upon  the  sneering  world  !" 

"Do  not  thank  him,  respected  sister-in-law,  for  he  has  left  you 
poor, "  said  the  prince,  approaching  her,  and  contemplating  her  with 
a  freezing  smile.  "  My  brother  has  made  you  a  princess,  it  is  true, 
but  he  has  not  given  you  the  means  to  live  as  a  princess.  He  has 
bequeathed  to  you  this  palace,  with  its  costly  furniture ;  he  has  be- 
queathed to  you  his  carriages  and  diamonds ;  but  a  palace  and 
furniture  are  no  estates,  and  in  order  to  keep  carriages  one  has  to 
feed  men  and  horses.  It  is  true,  you  can  sell  the  palace  and  the 
diamonds,  and  obtain  for  them  several  hundred  thousand  florins. 
That  sum  would  be  amply  sufficient  for  a  person  leading  a  retired 


THE  LEGITIMATE  WIFE.  261 

life,  but  it  is  very  little  for  one  who  desires  to  keep  up  a  princely 
household,  and  to  live  in  the  style  becoming  a  lady  of  your  beauty 
and  social  position.  My  brother  has  foreseen  all  this,  and  he  indi- 
rectly gave  us  a  chance  to  come  to  an  understanding,  by  asking  me 
to  agree  with  you  on  a  pension  to  be  paid  you.  Hence  I  ask  you, 
how  much  do  you  demand?  How  high  will  be  the  sum  for  which 
you  will  sell  me  your  mourning  veil,  your  name,  and  your  title  of 
princess  dowager?  For  you  doubtless  anticipate,  madame,  that  I 
do  not  propose  to  acknowledge  you  publicly  as  my  sister-in-law,  and 

to  receive  a Marianne  Meier  among  the  members  of  my  family. 

Tell  me  your  price,  therefore,  madame. " 

Marianne  looked  at  him  with  naming  eyes,  a  deep  blush  of  anger 
mantling  her  cheeks.  "  Prince  von  Reuss, "  she  said,  proudly,  "  you 
will  have  to  permit  the  world  to  call  me  your  sister-in-law.  I  am 
your  sister-in-law,  and  I  shall  prove  to  the  world  and  to  you  that  it 
is  unnecessary  to  have  been  born  under  a  princely  canopy  in  order  to 
live,  think,  and  act  like  a  princess.  My  husband  has  rewarded  me 
in  this  hour  for  years  of  suffering  and  humiliation.  Do  you  believe 
that  my  reward  is  for  sale  for  vile  money?  And  if  you  should  offer 
me  millions,  I  should  reject  them  if ,  in  return,  I  were  to  lead  a  name- 
less, disreputable,  and  obscure  existence.  I  will  sooner  die  of  star- 
vation as  a  Princess  Dowager  von  Reuss  than  live  in  opulence  as 
Marianne  Meier.  This  is  my  last  word  ;  and  now,  sir,  begone  !  Do 
not  desecrate  this  room  by  your  cold  and  egotistic  thoughts,  and  by 
your  heartless  calculations !  Honor  the  repose  of  the  dead  and  the 
grief  of  the  living.  Begone  1" 

She  proudly  turned  away  from  him,  and  bent  once  more  over  the 
corpse.  While  she  was  doing  so  her  black  veil,  with  a  gentle  rustle, 
fell  down  over  her  face  and  wrapped  her,  as  well  as  the  corpse,  as  in 
a  dark  mist,  so  that  the  two  forms  seemed  to  melt  into  one. 

The  prince  felt  a  shudder  pervading  his  frame,  and  the  presence 
of  the  corpse  embarrassed  him. 

"  I  will  not  disturb  you  now  in  your  grief,  madame, "  he  said  ;  "  I 
hope  your  tears  will  flow  less  copiously  as  soon  as  the  funeral  is 
over,  and  I  shall  then  send  my  lawyer,  for  the  purpose  of  treating 
further  with  you. " 

He  bowed,  and  hastened  to  the  door.  She  seemed  neither  to 
have  heard  his  words,  nor  to  have  noticed  that  he  was  withdrawing. 
She  was  still  bending  over  the  remains  of  her  husband,  the  black 
cloud  surrounding  her  and  the  corpse. 


262  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA, 

CHAPTER     XXXIV. 

THE    EIGHTEENTH    OF    BRUMAIRE. 

MNE\vs  from  France!"  exclaimed  Counsellor  Gentz,  entering 
Marianne's  boudoir  in  breathless  haste.  "Do  you  already  know 
what  has  occurred?  Did  you  hear,  Marianne,  how  France  has 
closed  the  eighteenth  century?" 

Marianne  looked  up  into  the  face  of  her  friend,  with  a  gentle  and 
peculiar  smile.  "  That  must  have  been  exciting  intelligence, "  she 
said,  "  inasmuch  as  it  was  even  able  to  arouse  the  dreamer,  Frederick 
Gentz,  from  his  political  sleep,  and  to  cause  him  to  take  interest 
again  in  the  affairs  of  the  world.  Well,  let  us  hear  the  news  ;  what 
has  occurred  in  France?" 

"  General  Bonaparte  has  overthrown  the  Directory,  and  dispersed 
the  Council  of  Five  Hundred. " 

"And  you  call  that  news?"  asked  Marianne,  shrugging  her 
shoulders.  "  You  tell  me  there  the  history  of  the  ninth  and  tenth  of 
November,  or,  as  the  French  republicans  say,  of  the  eighteenth  and 
nineteenth  of  Brumaire.  And  you  believe  that  I  have  not  yet  heard 
of  it  to-day,  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  December?  My  friend  Gentz, 
Bonaparte's  deeds  need  not  more  than  a  month  in  order  to  penetrate 
through  the  world  ;  they  soar  aloft  with  eagle-wings,  and  the  whole 
world  beholds  them,  because  they  darken  the  horizon  of  the  whole 
world." 

"  But  you  have  only  heard  the  preamble  of  my  news, "  ejaculated 
Gentz,  impatiently.  "  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  know  the  history  of 
the  eighteenth  of  Brumaire,  and  that  you  are  aware  that  France, 
on  that  day,  placed  herself  under  the  rule  of  three  consuls,  one  of 
whom  was  General  Bonaparte. " 

"  The  other  two  consuls  are  Sieyes  and  Ducos, "  interrupted  Mari- 
anne. "I  know  that,  and  I  know,  too,  that  Lucien,  Bonaparte's 
brother,  president  of  the  Legislative  Assembly,  upon  receiving  the 
oath  of  office  of  the  three  consuls,  said  to  them  :  '  The  greatest  nation 
on  earth  intrusts  you  with  its  destinies  ;  the  welfare  of  thirty  mill- 
ions of  men,  the  preservation  of  order  at  home,  and  the  reestablish- 
ment  of  peace  abroad,  are  your  task.  Three  months  from  to-day 
public  opinion  will  expect  to  hear  from  you  how  you  have  accom- 
plished it.'"* 

"  Well,  M.  Bonaparte  did  not  make  public  opinion  wait  so  long, " 
said  Gentz  ;  "  or  rather,  he  asserts  public  opinion  had  not  given  him 

*  "  Hlstoire  du  Consulat  et  do  1'Empire,"  par  A.  Theirs,  vol.  i.,  p.  16. 


THE  EIGHTEENTH  OF  BRUMAIRE.  263 

time  to  wait  so  long,  and  that  it  was  public  opinion  itself  that  called 
upon  him  to  proclaim  himself  sovereign  of  France." 

"Sovereign  of  France?"  asked  Marianne,  in  surprise.  "Bona- 
parte has  made  himself  king?" 

"  Yes,  king,  but  under  another  name ;  he  has  caused  himself  to 
be  elected  consul  for  ten  years !  Ah,  he  will  know  how  to  shorten 
these  ten  years,  just  as  he  knew  how  to  shorten  those  three  months  1" 

"And  this  report  is  reliable?"  asked  Marianne,  musingly. 

"  Perfectly  so.  Bonaparte  was  elected  first  consul  on  the  twenty- 
fifth  of  December,  and  on  the  same  day  the  new  constitution  was 
promulgated  throughout  France.  That  is  a  very  fine  Christmas 
present  which  France  has  made  to  the  world !  A  box  filled  with 
dragon's  teeth,  from  which  armed  hosts  will  spring  up.  It  is  true 
the  first  consul  now  pretends  to  be  very  anxious  to  restore  peace  to 
Europe.  He  has  sent  special  ambassadors  to  all  courts,  with  pro- 
fuse assurances  of  his  friendship  and  pacific  intentions,  and  he  sent 
them  off  even  previous  to  his  election,  in  order  to  announce  the 
news  of  the  latter  to  the  foreign  courts  on  the  same  day  on  which  he 
was  proclaimed  first  consul  at  Paris.  Such  a  peace-messenger  of 
the  general  has  arrived  at  Berlin ;  he  has  brought  us  the  strange  and 
startling  news. " 

"What  is  the  name  of  this  peace -messenger  of  the  modern  god  of 
war?"  asked  Marianne. 

"  He  sent  his  adjutant,  General  Duroc ;  the  latter  reached  Berlin 
yesterday,  and  appeared  even  to-day  as  the  petted  guest  of  our  court, 
at  the  great  soiree  of  the  queen.  Oh,  my  friend,  my  stupid  German 
heart  trembled  with  anger  when  I  saw  the  kind  and  flattering  atten- 
tions that  were  paid  to  this  Frenchman,  while  German  gentlemen  of 
genius,  merit,  and  ability  were  kept  in  the  background,  neither  the 
king  nor  the  queen  seeming  to  take  any  notice  of  their  presence ! 
There  were  Count  Hardenberg,  and  the  noble  President  of  West- 
phalia, Baron  Stein ;  they  stood  neglected  in  a  bay  window,  and 
looked  sadly  at  the  royal  couple,  who  treated  the  Frenchman  in  the 
midst  of  the  court  in  the  most  distinguished  manner ;  there  were 
Blucher  and  Gneisenau,  overlooked  by  everybody,  although  their 
uniforms  were  no  less  brilliant  than  that  of  the  French  envoy  ;  and 
there  was  finally  Frederick  Gentz,  myself,  who  had  only  appeared 
at  this  court  festival  owing  to  the  special  desire  and  order  of  the 
queen,  and  whose  presence  she  had  entirely  forgotten,  although 
Gualtieri  reminded  her  of  it  at  least  three  times,  and  told  her  that  I 
was  there,  and  had  only  come  because  the  queen  had  expressly 
ordered  it  so.  But  what  did  her  beautiful  majesty  care  that  a  Ger- 
man writer  was  vainly  waiting  for  a  smile  of  her  affability,  and  a 
gracious  nod  of  her  lovely  head?  The  French  envoy  was  by  far  more 


264  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

important  than  all  of  us.  For  the  sake  of  the  Frenchman,  even 
'Madame  Etiquette, '  the  Countess  von  Voss,  mistress  of  ceremonies, 
had  been  silenced,  and  the  plain  adjutant  of  the  first  consul  was 
received  with  as  much  distinction  as  if  he  were  a  minister  plenipo- 
tentiary, while  he  only  came  as  the  simple  agent  for  a  private  indi- 
vidual. They  asked  him  to  tell  them  about  the  battle  of  the  Pyra- 
mids, about  the  battles  of  Mount  Tabor  and  Aboukir,  and  the  whole 
court  listened  to  him  with  a  suspense  as  though  Bonaparte's  adju- 
tant were  preaching  a  new  gospel.  Whenever  he  paused  in  his  nar- 
rative, the  queen,  with  her  fascinating  smile,  constantly  addressed 
new  questions  to  him,  and  praised  the  achievements  of  General 
Bonaparte  as  though  he  were  the  Messiah  sent  into  the  world  to  de- 
liver it  from  the  evils  of  war !  In  short,  he  had  a  perfect  success ; 
and  at  last,  by  means  of  an  adroit  trick,  he  managed  to  render  it  as 
magnificent  as  possible.  The  queen  told  General  Duroc  of  our  Ger- 
man customs,  and  informed  him  that  this  was  the  day  on  which 
the  Germans  everywhere  made  presents  to  each  other,  and  that  gifts 
were  laid  under  Chrisfmas-trees,  adorned  with  burning  tapers.  At 
that  moment  Duroc  turned  to  the  king,  and  said,  with  his  intolerable 
French  amiability  :  'Sire,  if  this  is  the  day  of  universal  presents  in 
Germany,  I  believe  I  will  be  courageous  enough  to-day  to  ask  your 
majesty  for  a  present  in  the  name  of  the  first  consul,  General  Bona- 
parte, if  your  majesty  will  permit  me  to  do  so. '  The  king,  of  course, 
gave  him  the  desired  permission,  and  Duroc  continued :  '  Sire,  the 
present  for  which  I  am  to  ask  your  majesty,  in  the  name  of  the  first 
consul,  is  a  bust  of  your  great  ancestor,  Frederick  the  Second.  The 
first  consul  recently  examined  the  statues  in  the  Diana  Gallery  at  the 
Tuileries ;  there  were  the  statues  of  Caesar  and  Brutus,  of  Coriolanus 
and  Cicero,  of  Louis  XIV.  and  Charles  V. ,  but  the  first  consul  did 
not  see  the  statue  of  Frederick  the  Great,  and  he  deems  the  collection 
of  the  heroes  of  ancient  and  modern  times  incomplete  as  long  as  it 
does  not  embrace  the  name  of  Frederick  the  Great.  Sire,  I  take  the 
liberty,  therefore,  to  ask  you,  in  the  name  of  France,  for  a  bust  of 
Frederick  the  Great !'"  * 

"  Very  adroit,  indeed, "  said  Marianne,  smiling  ;  "  these  republi- 
cans seem  to  be  excellent  courtiers. " 

"Yes,  very  adroit !"  exclaimed  Gentz  ;  "the  whole  court  was  in 
ecstasy  at  this  tremendous  flattery,  at  this  compliment  paid  by  the 
great  republic  to  little  Prussia  ;  but  I  could  not  stand  it  any  longer 
in  those  halls,  and  in  the  presence  of  these  fawning  Germans,  and  I 
hastened  away  in  order  to  unbosom  to  you  my  rage,  my  indigna- 
tion, and  my  grief.  Oh,  my  fair  friend,  what  is  to  become  of  Ger- 
many, and  what  will  be  the  end  of  all  these  troubles?  Ruin  ia 

*  Historical. 


THE  EIGHTEENTH  OF  BRUMAIRE.  265 

staring  us  in  the  face,  and  we  do  not  see  it ;  we  are  rushing  toward 
the  precipice,  and  must  fall  a  prey  to  France,  to  this  wolf  in  sheep's 
clothing,  which  will  caress  and  pet  us  until  it  will  be  able  to 
devour  us !" 

"  I  like  to  hear  you  talk  in  this  strain, "  said  Marianne,  joyfully. 
"  That  is  again  the  friend  of  my  heart,  who  is  now  talking  to  me. 
Listen  to  me.  I  have  to  communicate  news  to  you,  too,  and  you 
must  not  be  surprised  if  I  reply  to  your  important  political  intelli- 
gence by  a  reference  to  my  petty  personal  interests.  But  there  is  a 
connection  between  them,  and  you  will  see  it  by  and  by.  Listen, 
then,  to  the  news  concerning  myself. " 

"Yes,  Marianne,"  said  Gentz,  kneeling  down  before  her,  and 
leaning  his  head  upon  her  knees,  "  yes,  tell  me  about  yourself,  my 
beautiful  fairy  queen  ;  lull  my  political  pains  a  little  by  the  magic 
song  which  is  flowing  from  your  red  lips  like  a  fresh  source  of  love. 
Oh,  my  charming  princess,  now  that  I  am  looking  up  into  your 
radiant  face,  I  feel  a  burning  shame  that  I  should  have  desecrated 
the  delightful  moments  I  passed  by  your  side  by  such  trivial  com- 
plaints about  the  misery  of  German  politics.  What  have  we  to  do 
with  politics?  What  do  we  care  if  Germany  is  going  to  be  ruined? 
Apres  nous  le  deluge!  Let  us  enjoy  the  bliss  of  the  fleeting 
hour !" 

Marianne  played  smilingly  with  her  slender  fingers,  covered 
with  sparkling  diamond  rings,  in  hkrliair,  and  looked  upon  him 
with  a  wondrous  air. 

"  Enthusiast !"  she  said  ;  "  now  an  ardent  politician,  then  an  im- 
passioned lover,  and  ready  at  all  hours  to  exchange  one  role  for  the 
other  !  Will  you  not  listen  to  my  news?  My  quarrel  with  my  dear 
brother-in-law,  Henry  XV.,  is  ended;  we  have  come  to  an  agree- 
ment. " 

"  And  I  hope  my  sagacious  and  prudent  Marianne  has  subdued 
her  proud  and  bold  heart  this  time,  and  had  a  little  regard  for  her 
advantage, "  replied  Gentz.  "  A  woman  as  beautiful  and  radiant  as 
Marianne  Meier  needs  no  empty  aristocratic  title,  for  your  beauty 
makes  you  the  queen  of  the  world  ;  but  you  need  wealth  in  order  to 
add  power  to  your  beauty,  and  to  adorn  it  with  a  cloak  glittering 
with  gold  and  purple.  Well,  my  queen,  are  you  again  Marianne 
Meier  and  a  millionaire  besides?" 

"  What  a  fool !"  she  exclaimed,  proudly,  "  what  a  fool  you  are  to 
believe  I  would  crawl  back  into  the  Jews'  quarter  and  expose  myself 
to  the  sneers  of  my  enviable  friends !  No,  my  friend,  money  and 
beauty  are  insufficient  for  those  who  desire  to  play  a  role  in  the 
world ;  they  stand  in  need  of  rank  and  titles,  too,  for  these  are  the 
magic  words  opening  to  us  the  doors  of  royal  palaces,  and  placing 


266  LOUISA  OF   PRUSSIA. 

us  on  a  par  with  the  privileged  and  inacessible.  I,  for  one,  want  to 
play  my  role  in  the  world ;  hence  I  must  have  a  distinguished  title. 
It  is  true  I  also  stand  in  need  of  wealth,  and  by  means  of  a  skilful 
arrangement  I  have  secured  both.  The  mote  in  my  Jewish  eye 
appearing  to  my  aristocratic  relatives  like  a  very  large  beam,  I  have 
yielded  and  renounced  the  title  of  a  Princess  von  Reuss ;  but,  in 
spite  of  that,  I  remain  a  princess  and  retain  the  title  of  highness. 
The  prince,  my  brother-in-law,  has  given  me  a  splendid  estate  in 
fee-simple,  the  annual  revenues  of  which  amount  to  no  less  than 
twenty  thousand  dollars  ;  in  return,  however,  I  surrender  to  him  the 
family  diamonds,  this  palace,  the  carriages  with  the  coat-of-arms 
of  the  Reuss  family,  the  horses  and  liveries,  and  last,  the  name  and 
title  of  a  Princess  Dowager  von  Reuss. " 

"And  now,  like  all  the  fairies  in  the  children's  books,  you  area 
wondrous  child  without  name  and  rank,  but  showering  with  your 
snowy  hands  golden  suns  and  glittering  stars  upon  mankind  ?" 

"  No,  I  am  no  nameless  woman  now,  but  I  adopt  the  name  of  my 
estate  of  Eibenberg,  and  from  this  day  forward  I  shall  be  the  Princess 
Marianne  of  Eibenberg,  the  Emperor  of  Germany  himself  having 
recognized  my  new  title.  The  documents,  signed  by  the  emperor 
himself,  are  on  the  table  there.  The  prince  brought  them  to  me  to- 
day as  a  Christmas-present.  Now,  my  friend,  my  real  life  is  to 
commence  ;  I  have  acquired  wealth  and  a  distinguished  name.  The 
poor  Jewess,  the  daughter  of~4jie  Ghetto,  has  moved  into  the  palace 
of  the  aristocracy  and  become  a  princess. " 

"  And  I  will  be  the  first  to  do  you  homage  as  though  you  were  my 
princess  and  queen  I"  exclaimed  Gentz,  "  the  first  who  will  call 
himself  your  vassal.  Come,  my  princess,  let  me  place  the  sweet 
yoke  upon  my  neck  ;  let  my  forehead  touch  the  ground  on  which 
you  are  walking  ;  place  your  foot  upon  my  neck,  so  that  I  may  feel 
the  sweet  burden  of  your  rule. " 

And  bending  down  his  head  until  his  brow  touched  the  floor,  he 
placed  her  tiny  foot,  encased  in  a  beautiful  silken  shoe,  upon  his 
neck.  Marianne  did  not  interfere  with  him,  but  looked  down  on 
him  with  a  proud,  triumphant  smile. 

"  You  lie  at  my  feet,  Frederick  Gentz, "  she  said,  "  nevertheless  I 
will  lift  you  up  to  me  ;  you  shall  stand  by  my  side,  my  equal,  famous 
and  great  as  you  ought  to  be,  owing  to  your  genius  !  But  a  truce  to 
tender  trifling,  my  friend  ;  both  of  us  have  to  accomplish  great  pur- 
poses, and  our  thoughts  and  actions  should  be  grave  and  stern. 
Come,  rise  from  your  knees,  my  vassal ;  you  shall  be  a  prince  by  my 
side,  and  we  will  rule  the  world  together. " 

She  withdrew  her  foot  from  his  neck,  but  Gentz  seized  it  with 
both  hands  and  kissed  it.  He  then  quickly  rose  from  his  knees, 


THE  EIGHTEENTH  OF  BRUMAIRE.  267 

and  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height,  looking  at  her  sternly  and 
almost  angrily. 

"  You  have  often  told  me  that  you  loved  me, "  he  said,  "  but  it 
was  ailie ;  you  do  not  understand  love,  your  heart  is  cold  and  your 
senses  are  silent,  only  your  pride  speaks. " 

"  It  is  possible  that  you  are  right, "  she  replied,  "  but,  in  that  case, 
I  love  you  with  my  pride  and  with  my  mind,  and  that  is  worth 
something,  at  all  events.  I  want  to  see  you  honored,  famous,  and 
influential ;  is  not  that  also  love?" 

"No,  it  is  a  mockery!"  ejaculated  Gentz,  mournfully.  "It  is 
malice,  for  you  see  I  am  a  poor,  despised  man,  without  money, 
without  fame,  without  rank  ;  a  miserable  military  counsellor,  out- 
ranked by  every  private  counsellor,  and  persecuted  day  by  day  by 
my  creditors,  as  if  they  were  vultures  following  a  poor  dove  whose 
wings  have  been  clipped." 

"  But  your  wings  shall  grow  again,  so  that  you  may  escape  from 
the  vultures  !"  exclaimed  Marianne,  "and  that  you  may  soar,  eagle- 
like,  above  the  miseries  of  the  world,  and  exercise  a  commanding 
influence  over  it.  The  time  of  dreams  and  expectations  is  over,  the 
time  for  action  has  come  for  all  energetic  and  able  minds.  Two 
years  ago  I  asked  you,  as  I  do  to-day,  if  you  would  not  devote  your 
services  to  Austria,  and  if  you  would  not  seek  for  fame  and  happi- 
ness in  that  country,  in  which  your  genius  would  be  appreciated  and 
rewarded.  Do  you  remember  what  you  replied  to  me  at  that  time?" 

"  Yes,  I  remember, "  said  Gentz,  with  a  sarcastic  smile ;  "  I  was 
foolish  enough  to  reject  your  offers,  and  to  declare  that  I  would  stay 
here  at  Berlin,  and  see  if  my  native  country  would  not  need  my 
abilities  and  my  services,  and  if  our  rulers  here  wotild  not  avail 
themselves  of  my  talents  and  of  my  pen.  And  thus  I  have  lost, 
again,  two  years  of  my  life,  and  only  my  debts  have  increased,  but 
not  my  fame. " 

"  Because  you  were  an  enthusiast,  and  expected  to  be  appreciated 
in  Prussia ;  believing  this  good  king  (who  would  like  to  make  his 
people  happy  and  prosperous,  but  who  timidly  shrinks  back  from  all 
energetic  resolutions)  would  be  very  grateful  to  you  for  exhorting 
him  to  grant  freedom  of  the  press  to  his  subjects,  and,  in  general, 
to  introduce  liberty  and  equality  in  his  states.  Do  you  still  believe 
that  Frederick  William  the  Third  will  do  so?" 

"No,  he  will  not,"  replied  Gentz,  mournfully;  "no,  this  king 
does  not  understand  the  present  age,  and  instead  of  being  a  step  in 
advance  of  it,  he  will  always  remain  a  step  behind  it,  and  thus 
involve  Prussia  in  untold  misery  and  suffering.  I  have  hoped  and 
waited  long  enough  ;  the  time  of  patience  and  idleness  is  now  over, 
und  I  therefore  renounce,  to-day,  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  cen* 


268  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

tury,  my  native  state,  in  order  to  become  a  citizen  and  son  of  a 
larger  fatherland.  I  cease  to  be  a  Prussian,  in  order  to  become  a 
German  ;  and  Prussia  having  no  desire  to  avail  herself  of  my  abili- 
ties, I  am  going  to  see  whether  or  not  Germany  has  any  use  for  them. 
My  beautiful  Marianne,  you  shall  be  the  priestess  who  receives  the 
oath  which  I  make  on  the  altar  of  the  fatherland  :  '  I  swear  to  devote 
all  my  powers  and  talents  to  Germany ;  I  swear  to  be  a  faithful  and 
untiring  son  to  my  great  fatherland  !'" 

"  I  have  heard  your  oath,  Frederick  Gentz,  and  I  accept  it  in  the 
came  of  Germany,"  said  Marianne,  solemnly.  "You  shall  be  the 
champion  of  the  honor  and  rights  of  Germany ;  your  weapon,  how- 
ever, shall  not  be  the  sword,  but  the  pen. " 

"But  where  will  the  lists  be  opened  to  my  tournament?"  asked 
Gentz,  musingly. 

"  In  Austria, "  replied  Marianne,  quickly ;  "  the  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many is  expecting  you,  the  son  of  Germany  ;  the  Emperor  of  Germany 
is  calling  you  to  serve  and  promote  the  interests  of  your  fatherland. 
I  am  authorized  to  tell  you  that.  The  new  Austrian  envoy,  Count 
Stadion,  has  requested  me  to  do  so ;  he  has  asked  me  to  win  you  for 
Austria,  that  is,  for  Germany.  For,  believe  me,  the  welfare  of 
Germany  is  nowadays  consulted  in  Austria,  and  not  in  Prussia  !" 

"No,  not  in  Prussia!"  exclaimed  Gentz,  mournfully.  "Our 
government  shuts  its  eyes  in  order  not  to  behold  the  terrors  which 
are  rushing  toward  us  with  irresistible  force,  and  will  soon,  like  an 
avalanche,  roll  over  Germany  and  annihilate  us  all,  unless  we 
skilfully  calculate  the  danger,  and  raise  sufficient  bulwarks  against 
it.  They  admire  Bonaparte  here,  and  only  behold  a  hero,  while  I 
scent  a  tyrant — a  tyrant  who  wants  to  subjugate  us  by  his  revolu- 
tionary liberty  and  his  Jacobin's  cap,  which  is  but  a  crown  in 
another  shape.  I  hate  Bonaparte,  for  I  hate  the  revolution  which, 
notwithstanding  its  phrases  of  liberty  and  equality,  is  but  a  bloody 
despotism  that  does  not  even  grant  freedom  of  opinion  to  the  citizen, 
and  drags  such  ideas  as  are  distasteful  to  it  upon  the  scaffold.  I 
hate  the  revolution,  I  hate  Bonaparte,  and  I  hate  every  form  of 
tyranny,  and  shall  oppose  it  as  long  as  I  live  1" 

"And  I  shall  be  a  faithful  squire  by  your  side,  and  sharpen  the 
bolts  which  you  are  going  to  hurl  at  the  enemy, "  said  Mariari"ne, 
with  fervent  enthusiasm.  "We  are  both  going  to  Vienna,  in  order 
to  serve  Germany.  In  Vienna  a  new  century  and  a  new  country 
will  open  their  arms  to  us.  Thanks  to  my  title,  to  my  rank,  and  to 
my  connections,  every  door  will  be  open  to  us  there,  and  the  Jewess, 
Marianne  Meier,  princess  of  Eibenberg,  will  not  even  find  the  apart- 
ments of  the  emperor  and  empress  closed ;  on  the  contrary,  their 
imperial  majesties  will  receive  me  as  an  honored  and  welcome  guest, 


THE  EIGHTEENTH  OF  BRUMAIEE.  269 

for  I  am  a  princess  by  the  act  of  the  emperor,  and  the  friend  of  the 
empress ;  Victoria  de  Poutet  Colloredo  is  also  my  friend.  And 
whithersoever  I  go,  you  shall  go,  too,  my  friend,  and  the  doors  that 
will  open  to  me  shall  not  be  closed  to  you.  My  rank  opens  them  to 
me,  and  your  genius  opens  them  to  you.  Come,  let  us  be  faithful 
allies ;  let  us  swear  to  support  each  other  firmly  and  immovably,  and 
to  walk  together  step  by  step. " 

"Oh,  my  noble  and  generous  friend,"  exclaimed  Gentz,  sadly, 
"how  delicately  you  try  to  veil  your  protection  !  In  such  an  alli- 
ance, I  am  unable  to  offer  you  any  compensation,  for  I  should  find 
all  doors  closed  if  you  should  not  open  them  to  me.  I  have  neither 
rank,  money,  nor  friends  at  court !" 

"Well,  let  me  protect  you  now,  and  at  some  later  period  you  will 
protect  me,"  said  Marianne.  "Let  us  swear  to  pursue  our  path 
together." 

"I  swear  it  by  all  that  is  sacred  to  me !"  exclaimed  Gentz.  "I 
swear  that  I  will  remain  faithful  to  you  and  to  Germany  for  my 
whole  life.  I  swear  that  I  will  follow  you  everywhere  ;  that  I  will 
serve  you  wherever  and  whenever  I  can,  and  to  love  you  to  my  last 
breath." 

"  The  alliance  is  closed, "  said  Marianne,  solemnly.  "  Henceforth, 
we  will  fight  jointly,  and  pursue  our  goal  together.  It  is  our  own 
greatness,  and  the  greatness  of  Germany.  The  country  is  in  danger 
— let  us  see  if  we  cannot  contribute  something  to  its  preservation, 
and  if  it  does  not  need  our  hands  and  our  heads  in  order  to  weather 
the  storm.  If  we  should  be  able,  while  assisting  the  country,  to 
pick  up  a  few  laurels,  titles,  decorations,  and  treasures  for  ourselves, 
we  would  be  fools  not  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  opportunity. " 

"Yes,  you  are  right, "said  Gentz,  smiling,  "we  would  be  fools 
not  to  do  so  ;  and  you  are  right,  too,  as  to  the  perils  of  the  country. 
Germany  is  in  danger.  The  new  century  will  dawn  upon  her  with 
a  bloody  morning  sun,  and  it  will  arouse  us  from  our  sleep  by  a 
terrific  cannonade.  But  as  for  ourselves,  we  will  not  wait  until  the 
roar  of  the  strife  awakens  us ;  we  will  be  up  and  doing  now  and 
work  on  the  lightning-rod  with  which  we  will  meet  the  approaching 
thunderstorm,  in  order  that  its  bolts  may  glance  off  harmlessly  and 
not  destroy  Germany.  I  will  be  an  untiring  warrior  in  the  great 
struggle  against  the  revolution,  and  my  pen,  which  is  my  sword, 
shall  never  be  idle  in  the  strife.  From  this  hour  I  cease  to  be  the 
insignificant  Prussian  counsellor,  Frederick  Gentz  ;  from  this  hour 
I  will  strive  to  become  the  great  political  writer  of  Germany.  May 
the  genius  of  Germany  be  with  me  in  my  endeavors  !" 

"  Amen  !"  said  Marianne,  fervently.  "  May  the  genius  of  Ger- 
many bless  us  and  the  new  century.  Amen !" 


THE  PEACE  OF  LUNEYILLE. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

JOHANNES  MULLER. 

THE  minister,  Baron  Thugut,  was  pacing  his  cabinet  in  an 
excited  manner.  His  face,  usually  so  cold  and  immovable,  was 
painfully  agitated  to-day  ;  his  shaggy  white  eyebrows  were  closely 
contracted,  and  his  eyes  were  casting  angry  glances  on  the  dispatch 
ivMch  he  had  just  thrown  on  his  desk,  and  which  a  courier  from 
General  Melas,  in  Lombardy,  had  brought  to  him  a  few  minutes 
ago. 

"Another  battle  lost!"  he  muttered;  "another  laurel -wreath 
placed  on  the  defiant  head  of  General  Bonaparte !  This  man  will 
make  me  mad  yet  by  his  impudent  good  luck.  It  is  dreadful  only 
to  think  that  he  was  already  defeated  at  Marengo  * — so  surely  de- 
feated that  General  Melas  issued  orders  for  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy, 
and  rode  to  Alessandria  to  take  his  supper  in  the  most  comfortable 
manner.  That  fellow  Melas  is  a  jackass,  who  only  scented  the  roast 
meat  which  he  was  going  to  have  for  supper,  but  not  General  Desaix, 
who  arrived  with  his  troops  in  time  to  snatch  victory  from  our  grasp, 
and  to  inflict  a  most  terrible  defeat  upon  our  triumphant  army.  All 
of  our  generals  are  short-sighted  fools,  from  that  ridiculously-over- 
rated Archduke  Charles  down  to  General  Schwarzenberg,  and  what- 
ever the  names  of  these  gentlemen  may  be — these  gentlemen  with 
the  golden  epaulets,  and  decorated  breasts,  and  empty  heads — I  have 
no  confidence  in  a  single  one  of  them.  At  the  moment  of  danger  as 
well  as  of  victory  they  regularly  lose  their  senses,  and  thereby  turn 
our  victories  into  defeats ;  while  they  render  our  checks  in  the  same 
way  only  more  disastrous  and  decisive.  I  am  entirely  opposed  to 
placing  any  more  archdukes  at  the  head  of  our  armies.  Fortunately, 
I  have  succeeded  in  getting  rid  of  Archduke  Charles,  and  I  hope 
that  Archduke  John,  too,  will  be  badly  beaten  at  no  distant  period, 
so  that  we  may  remove  him,  like  his  brother,  from  his  position  at 
the  head  of  his  troops.  It  will  never  do.  Well — "  he  interrupted 
himself  in  his  soliloquy,  casting  an  angry  glance  on  his  private 

*  The  battle  of  Marengo  was  f  ought  on  the  14th  of  June,  1800. 


JOHANNES  MtfLLEB.  271 

secretary,  Hudlitz,  who  was  just  entering  the  room — "  well,  why  do 
you  disturb  me  without  being  called  for?" 

"Pardon  me,  your  excellency,"  said  Hudlitz,  humbly,  "but  your 
excellency  had  instructed  me  to  inform  you  immediately  of  the  ar- 
rival of  the  custodian  of  the  imperial  library,  whom  your  excellency 
had  sent  for. " 

"  And  he  is  there  now  ?"  asked  Thugut. 

"Yes,  your  excellency,  Mr.  Muller,  the  aulic  councillor  and 
custodian  of  the  imperial  library  is  waiting  in  the  anteroom. " 

"  Admit  him,  then, "  said  Thugut,  waving  his  hand  toward  the 
door. 

Hudlitz  limped  out,  and  a  few  minutes  later  the  announced 
visitor  appeared  on  the  threshold  of  the  door.  He  was  a  little, 
slender  man,  with  a  stooping  form,  which  had  not  been  bent,  how- 
ever, by  the  burden  of  years,  but  by  the  burden  of  learning,  of 
night-watches  and  untiring  studies.  His  head,  covered  with  a  pig- 
tail wig,  according  to  the  fashion  of  that  period,  was  slightly  bent 
forward.  His  expansive  forehead  was  indicative  of  the  philo- 
sophical turn  of  his  mind ;  his  large  eyes  were  beaming  with  deep 
feeling ;  his  pleasing,  yet  not  handsome  features,  were  expressive  to 
an  almost  touching  degree,  of  infinite  gentleness  and  benevolence, 
and  a  winning  smile  was  playing  constantly  on  his  thin  lips. 

This  smile,  however,  disappeared  now  that  he  felt  the  small, 
piercing  eyes  of  the  minister  resting  upon  his  countenance.  Hat  in 
hand,  and  without  uttering  a  word,  he  remained  standing  at  the 
door  ;  he  only  raised  his  head  a  little,  and  his  eyes  were  fixed  on  the 
minister  with  a  calm  and  proud  expression. 

"You  are  the  aulic  councillor,  Johannes  Muller ?"  asked  Thugut, 
after  a  short  pause,  in  a  somewhat  harsh  voice. 

"  Yes,  I  am  Johannes  Muller, "  said  the  latter,  and  the  smile  had 
already  returned  to  his  lips.  "I  thank  your  excellency  for  this 
salutary  question. " 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that,  sir?"  asked  Thugut,  wonder ingly. 
"Why  do  you  call  my  question  salutary?" 

"  Because  it  involves  a  good  lesson,  your  excellency,  and  because 
it  informs  me  that  they  are  wrong  who,  from  motives  of  mistaken 
benevolence,  would  persuade  me  that  I  was  a  well-known  person, 
and  that  everybody  in  Vienna  was  familiar  with  my  name.  It  is 
always  wholesome  for  an  author  to  be  reminded  from  time  to  time 
of  his  insignificance  and  littleness,  for  it  preserves  him  from  giving 
way  to  pride,  and  pride  is  always  the  first  symptom  of  mental 
retrogradation. " 

Thugut  fixed  his  eyes  with  a  sullen  air  on  the  countenance  of  the 
savant. 


272  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"Do  you  want  to  give  me  a  lesson?"  he  asked,  angrily. 

"  By  no  means,  your  excellency, "  said  Johannes  Miiller,  calmly ; 
"I  only  wished  to  mention  the  reason  why  I  was  grateful  to -you  for 
your  question.  And  now  I  trust  your  excellency  will  permit  me  the 
question — to  what  am  I  indebted  for  the  honor  of  being  called  to 
your  excellency?" 

"  Well,  I  wished  to  make  your  acquaintance,  Mr.  Aulic  Council- 
lor, "  said  Thugut.  "  I  wished  no  longer  to  remain  the  only  inhabi- 
tant of  Vienna  who  had  not  seen  the  illustrious  historian  of 
Switzerland  and  the  author  of  the  '  Furstenbund. '  *  You  see,  sir,  I 
know  your  works  at  least,  even  though  I  did  not  know  your  person. " 

"  And  your  excellency  did  not  lose  any  thing  by  not  knowing  the 
latter,  for  it  is  a  person  that  is  not  worth  the  trouble  to  become 
acquainted  with.  We  men  of  learning  are  less  able  to  speak  with 
our  tongues  than  with  our  pens,  and  our  desk  alone  is  our  rostrum. " 

"  And  there  you  are  a  powerful  and  most  impressive  orator,  Mr. 
Aulic  Councillor !"  exclaimed  Thugut,  in  a  tone  of  unaffected  and 
cordial  praise. 

An  air  of  joyful  surprise  overspread  the  gentle  face  of  Johannes 
Miiller,  and  he  cast  a  glance  of  heart-felt  gratitude  on  the  minister. 

Thugut  noticed  this  glance.  "You  are  surprised  that  I  am  able 
to  appreciate  your  merits  so  correctly  and  yet  suffered  years  to  elapse 
without  inviting  you  to  call  on  me?  I  am  a  poor  man,  overburdened 
with  business  and  harassed  with  the  dry  details  of  my  administra- 
tion, and  the  direction  of  political  affairs  leaves  me  no  leisure  to  be 
devoted  to  literature. " 

"At  least  not  to  German  literature, "  said  Miiller,  quickly;  "but 
every  one  knows  your  excellency  to  be  a  profound  connoisseur  of 
oriental  languages ;  and  it  is  well  known,  too,  that  you  devote  a 
great  deal  of  attention  to  them,  notwithstanding  the  immense  burden 
of  business  constantly  weighing  you  down. " 

Thugut  smiled,  and  his  harsh  features  assumed  a  milder  expres- 
sion. Johannes  Miiller,  without  intending  it  perhaps,  had  touched 
the  chord  that  sounded  most  sweetly  to  Thugut  'a  ears ;  he  had 
flattered  him  by  referring  to  his  profound  oriental  studies. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "you  see  I  am  taking  likewise  a  lively  interest 
in  German  literature,  for  I  invited  you  to  come  and  see  me ;  and 
you  are  a  German  author,  and  one  of  the  most  illustrious  at  that. 
Now,  sir,  let  us  speak  frankly  and  without  circumlocution,-  as  two 
men  of  science  ought  to  do.  Let  us  mutually  forget  our  titles  and 
official  positions,  and  chat  confidentially  with  each  other.  Come, 
my  dear  sir,  let  us  sit  down  in  these  two  arm-chairs  and  talk  like 

*"The  League  of  the  Princes,"  one  of  the  celebrated  works  of  Johannes  von 
Holler. 


JOHANNES  MULLER.  273 

two  Gterman  gentlemen  ;  that  is,  frankly  and  sincerely.  Nobody  is 
here  to  hear  us,  and  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor  nobody  shall  learn 
a  word  of  what  we  are  going  to  say  to  each  other.  Perfect  irrespon- 
sibility and  impunity  for  every  thing  that  will  be  spoken  during 
this  interview.  Are  you  content  with  this,  and  will  you  promise 
me  to  open  your  mind  freely  to  me?" 

"I  promise  it,  your  excellency,  and  shall  reply  truthfully  and 
fearlessly  to  whatever  questions  you  may  address  to  me,  provided 
I  am  able  to  tell  you  the  truth. " 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  Thugut,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "Every 
thing  has  two  sides,  and  both  are  true  according  to  the  stand-point 
from  which  one  is  looking  at  them.  You  have  two  sides  yourself, 
sir,  and  they  are  contrasting  very  strangely  with  each  other.  You 
are  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and  yet  you  depict  theHapsburg  princes 
in  your  works  with  more  genuine  enthusiasm  than  any  of  our  Aus- 
trian historians.  You  are  a  republican,  and  yet  you  are  serving  a 
monarchy,  the  forms  of  which  seem  to  agree  with  you  exceedingly 
welL  You  belong  to  the  orthodox  reformed  church,  and  yet  you 
have  written  '  The  Voyages  of  the  Popes, '  and  '  The  Letters  of  Two 
Catholic  Prelates. '  You  are  a  friend  of  justice,  and  yet  you  have 
even  discovered  good  and  praiseworthy  qualities  in  that  tyrannous 
King  of  France,  Louis  XI.  Now  tell  me,  sir,  which  is  your  true 
side,  and  what  you  really  are?" 

u  I  am  a  man, "  said  Johannes  Miiller,  gently  ;  "  I  commit  errors 
and  have  my  failings  like  all  men,  my  heart  is  vacillating,  but  not 
my  head.  With  my  head  I  am  standing  above  all  parties,  and  above 
all  individual  feelings  ;  hence  I  am  able  to  write '  The  Voyages  of  the 
Popes, '  and  '  The  Letters  of  Two  Catholic  Prelates, '  although,  as 
your  excellency  stated,  I  am  a  member  of  the  orthodox  reformed 
church ;  and  hence  I  am  able  to  praise  the  Hapsburgs  and  serve 
a  monarchy,  although  I  am  a  republican.  But  my  heart  does  not 
stand  above  the  contending  parties ;  my  heart  loves  mankind,  and 
takes  pity  on  their  failings  ;  hence  it  is  able  to  discover  praiseworthy 
qualities  even  in  Louis  XI.  of  France,  for  in  the  bad  king,  it  con- 
stantly follows  the  vestiges  of  the  man  whom  nature  created  good 
and  humane. " 

"Those  are  the  views  of  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau!"  exclaimed 
Thugut,  contemptuously ;  "  but  these  views  are  inapplicable  to  the 
world  and  to  practical  life ;  he  who  desires  to  derive  advantages 
from  men,  first,  of  all  things,  must  avail  himself  of  their  bad  quali- 
ties and  flatter  them.  To  hold  intercourse  with  perfectly  virtuous 
men  is  tedious  and  unprofitable  ;  fotunately,  however,  there  are  very 
few  of  them.  I  should  have  no  use  whatever  for  such  patterns  of 
virtue,  and,  instead  of  admiring  them,  I  should  try  to  annihilate 


274  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

them.  He  who  is  to  be  a  welcome  tool  for  me,  must  either  have  a 
stain  by  which  I  may  catch  him  at  the  slightest  symptom  of  diso- 
bedience, like  an  insect  tied  to  a  string,  and  draw  him  back  to  me, 
or  he  must  be  so  narrow-minded  and  ignorant  as  not  to  understand 
me  fully,  and  to  be  unable  to  divine  and  penetrate  my  hidden 
thoughts  and  intentions. "  * 

"  In  that  case  I  must  hope  never  to  be  a  welcome  tool  of  your 
excellency, "  said  Miiller,  gravely. 

"Are  you  so  sure  of  your  virtue?  Are  you  unconscious  of  any 
stain  on  your  character?" 

"  If  principles  be  virtue,  yes ;  in  that  case  I  am  sure  of  my 
virtue,"  said  Mtiller,  calmly.  "I  shall  never  be  unfaithful  to  my 
principles,  and  I  hope  never  to  have  a  stain  on  my  conscience. " 

"Who  is  able  to  say  that?"  exclaimed  Thugut,  laughing;  "many 
a  one  has  become  a  murderer,  who  was  unwilling  to  tread  on  a 
worm,  and  many  a  one  has  become  a  perjurer,  who  protested  sol- 
emnly that  he  would  never  utter  a  lie.  But  a  truce  to  philosophical 
discussions.  I  like  to  go  directly  at  my  aim,  and  to  utter  my 
thoughts  clearly  and  precisely.  Listen,  then,  to  me,  and  learn  what 
I  want  you  to  do.  You  are  a  great  mind,  an  illustrious  historian, 
a  very  learned  man,  and  you  are  pining  away  among  the  shelves  of 
your  imperial  library.  The  greatest  historian  of  the  century  is 
nothing  but  the  custodian  of  a  library,  and  is  subordinate  to  a  chief 
whom  he  must  obey,  although  the  latter  is  mentally  a  pigmy  com- 
pared with  him.  Such  a  position  is  unworthy  of  your  eminent 
abilities,  or  tell  me,  do  you  feel  contented  with  it?" 

Johannes  Miiller  smiled  sadly.  "  Who  is  able  to  say  that  he  feels 
contented?"  he  asked.  "I  am,  perhaps,  a  bad  custodian,  and  that 
may  be  the  reason  why  the  prefect  of  the  Imperial  Library,  Baron 
Fenish,  is  not  on  good  terms  with  me,  and  profits  by  every  oppor- 
tunity to  mortify  me.  A  German  savant  never  was  an  independent 
man,  for  he  generally  lacks  the  most  indispensable  requisite  for  an 
independent  position  :  he  generally  lacks  wealth. " 

"Then  you  are  poor?"  asked  Thugut,  with  flashing  eyes. 

"  I  have  no  other  means  than  my  salary.  The  Muses  will  adorn  a 
man,  but  they  will  not  feed  him. " 

"  I  will  deliver  you  from  your  subordinate  position, "  said  Thugut, 
hastily;  "you  shall  be  independent,  free,  and  rich.  You  are  a  fool 
to  bury  yourself,  with  your  glory  and  with  your  pen,  in  the  dust  of 
old  books.  Life  and  history  are  calling,  and  offering  you  their 
metal  tablets  to  write  thereon.  Write,  then  ;  write  the  history  of 
our  times  ;  render  yourself  an  organ  of  the  age ;  assist  us,  by  your 

"Thugut's  own  words.— Fide  Hormayer,  " Lebensbilder  aus  dem  Befreiungs- 
krieg,"  vol.  i.,  p.  838. 


JOHANNES  MULLER.  275 

writings,  in  preserving  the  government  and  law  and  order.  Defend, 
with  your  ringing  voice,  the  actions  of  the  government  against  the 
aspersions  of  this  would-be  wise,  noisy,  and  miserable  people,  and 
you  shall  have  a  brilliant  position  and  an  annual  salary  of  four 
thousand  florins.  You  are  silent?  You  are  right;  consider  well 
what  I  am  proposing  to  you.  I  offer  you  a  brilliant  position.  I 
will  make  you  the  great  historian  of  our  times.  It  affords  you 
always  so  much  pleasure  to  praise  and  commend ;  well,  sir,  praise 
and  commend  what  we  are  doing.  Assist  me,  at  least,  in  mystify- 
ing our  contemporaries  and  posterity  a  little,  and  I  will  reward  you 
in  the  most  liberal  manner.  A  good  title,  a  large  salary,  and  we 
will,  moreover,  pay  your  debts. " 

"  Ah !  your  excellency  knows  that  I  have  debts,  and  you  believe 
that  to  be  the  string  by  which  you  may  draw  me  to  you  like  an 
insect?"  asked  Muller,  smiling.  "To  become  the  historian  of  our 
times  is  an  honorable  and  welcome  offer,  and  I  confess  to  your  ex- 
cellency that  I  have  already  finished  many  a  chapter  of  it  in  my 
head,  and  that  I  have  devoted  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  the  special 
history  of  Austria.  It  would  be  agreeable  to  me  if  your  excellency 
would  permit  me  to  recite  to  you  a  few  passages  from  the  history  of 
Austria,  as  I  have  elaborated  it  in  my  head.  This  will  be  the  best 
way  for  your  excellency  to  obtain  the  conviction  whether  I  am  really 
able  to  fill  so  brilliant  a  position  as  your  excellency  has  offered  me, 
and  whether  my  services  deserve  so  liberal  a  salary. " 

"Well,  sir,  let  me  hear  a  few  passages  from  your  'History  of 
Austria. '  I  am  very  anxious  to  listen  to  them. " 

"And  your  excellency  remembers  the  promise  that  there  is  to  be 
irresponsibility  and  impunity  for  whatever  will  be  said  during  this 
interview  ?" 

"  I  do,  sir,  and  I  swear  that  your  words  shall  never  be  repeated 
to  any  one,  and  that  I  shall  only  remember  them  when  I  have  to 
reward  you  for  them.  I  swear,  besides,  that  I  will  quietly  and  pa- 
tiently listen  to  you  until  you  have  concluded. " 

"  I  thank  your  excellency, "  said  Johannes  Muller,  bowing  grace- 
fully. "  I  should  like  to  recite  to  your  excellency  now  a  chapter  that 
I  desire  to  write  on  the  literature  of  Austria.  I  turn  my  eyes  back 
to  the  days  of  Maria  Theresa  and  Joseph  the  Second.  Both  of  them 
were  lovers  of  literature,  art,  and  science,  which  both  of  them  pro- 
moted and  fostered.  Joseph  expelled  darkness  from  his  states  and 
uttered  the  great  words,  '  The  mind  shall  be  free  !  '  And  the  mind 
became  free.  It  became  active  and  exalted  in  every  art ;  the  poets 
raised  their  voices  ;  the  learned  sent  the  results  of  their  studies  into 
the  world,  and  labored  powerfully  for  the  advancement  and  enlight- 
enment of  the  people.  The  mind  tore  down  the  barriers  that  stupid 


276  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

fear  had  raised  between  Austria  and  the  other  German  states,  and 
the  great  poets  who  had  lately  arisen  in  Germany  now  became,  also, 
the  poets  and  property  of  Austria.  Austria  called  Lessing  and 
Klopstock  her  poets  ;  like  the  rest  of  Germany,  she  enthusiastically 
admired  Schiller's  'Robbers, '  and  wept  over 'Werther's  Sorrows;' 
she  was  delighted  with  the  poetry  of  Wieland  ;  she  learned  to  love 
the  clear  and  noble  mind  of  Herder,  and  the  writings  of  Jean  Paul 
admonished  her  to  learn  and  to  reflect.  It  was  a  glorious  period, 
your  excellency,  for  a  young  nation  had  arisen  in  Austria,  and  it 
was  drawing  its  nourishment  from  the  breasts  of  a  young  literature. " 

"  And  sucking  from  these  breasts  the  revolutionary  spirit,  and 
the  arrogance  of  independent  thinkers, "  interrupted  Thugut,  rudely. 

Johannes  Miiller  seemed  not  to  have  heard  him,  and  continued  : 
"  Joseph  the  Second  died ;  scarcely  a  decade  has  passed,  and  what 
has  this  decade  made  of  Austria?  The  mind  has  been  chained 
again  ;  the  censor  with  his  scissors  has  taken  his  stand  again  by  the 
side  of  the  Austrian  boundary-post ;  and  the  wall  severing  Austria 
from  Germany  has  been  reerected.  Every  thing  now  has  become 
again  suspicious ;  even  the  national  spirit  of  the  Austrian,  even  his 
hatred  of  foreign  oppression,  and  his  hostility  to  foreign  encroach- 
ments. In  this  hatred  itself  the  government  sees  the  possibility  of  a 
rising,  and  a  spirit  of  opposition,  for  it  sees  that  the  people  are  no 
longer  asleep,  but  awake  and  thinking,  and  thought  in  itself  is  even 
now  an  opposition.  Every  manifestation  of  enthusiasm  for  a  man 
who  has  spoken  of  the  freedom  and  independence  of  Germany  is 
looked  upon  with  suspicion,  and  the  noblest  men  are  being  proscribed 
and  banished,  merely  because  the  people  love  them,  and  hope  and 
expect  great  things  from  them.  The  people,  according  to  the  wishes 
of  government,  shall  do  nothing  but  sleep,  obey,  and  be  silent ;  the 
people  shall  manifest  no  enthusiasm  for  any  thing ;  the  people 
shall  love  nothing,  desire  nothing,  think  nothing  ;  the  people  shall 
have  no  heroes,  to  whom  they  are  attached ;  for  the  glory  of  the 
heroes  might  eclipse  the  emperor,  and  the  shouts  of  love  sound  like 
shouts  of  insurrection. " 

"  You  refer  to  the  Archdukes  Charles  and  John, "  said  Thugut, 
quietly.  "  It  is  true,  I  have  remo^  ^d  Archduke  Charles  from  his 
command,  for  his  popularity  with  the  army  and  people  is  very  great, 
and  would  have  become  dangerous  to  the  emperor.  We  must  con- 
quer through  tools,  and  not  through  heroes ;  the  latter  are  very 
unpleasant  to  deal  with,  for  they  do  not  gratefully  receive  their 
reward  as  a  favor,  but  they  impudently  claim  and  take  it  as  a  right. 
The  imperial  throne  must  be  surrounded  by  heroes,  but  these  heroes 
must  never  eclipse  the  imperial  throne.  Pardon  this  note  to  your 
chapter,  and  proceed. " 


1  JOHANNES  MtJLLEB.  277 

"The  heroes  of  the  sword  are  cast  aside,"  continued  Johannes 
Miiller,  "  but  neither  the  heroes  of  thought  nor  the  heroes  of  litera- 
ture are  spared.  The  government  tries  to  disgrace  and  insult  lit- 
erature, because  it  is  unable  to  assassinate  it  entirely ;  it  drags 
literature  into  the  caves  of  unworthy  censors,  and  mutilates  its  most 
beautiful  limbs  and  destroys  the  most  magnificent  splendor  of  its 
ideas.  The  government  is  afraid  of  the  mind ;  hence  it  desires  to  kill 
it.  A  government,  however,  may  commit  many  mistakes,  but  it 
never  ought  to  show  that  it  is  afraid,  fear  exposing  it  to  ridicule.  And 
if  we  ought  not  to  weep  over  the  persecutions  which  the  apprehen- 
sions of  the  government  have  caused  to  be  instituted  against  litera- 
ture, we  ought  to  laugh  at  them.  Whole  volumes  of  the  most  sub- 
lime works  of  Gibbon,  Robertson,  Hume,  and  other  great  historians 
have  been  prohibited ;  and  there  is  not  one  of  our  German  poets — 
neither  Goethe,  nor  Schiller,  nor  Herder,  nor  Wieland,  nor  Lessing, 
nor  Jean  Paul — whose  works  are  not  ostracized  in  German  Austria. 
Fear  and  a  bad  conscience  scent  everywhere  allusions,  references, 
and  hints.  Hence  history  is  banished  from  the  stage  ;  for  the  history 
of  the  past  constantly  points  with  a  menacing  finger  at  the  sore 
spots  of  the  present.  Shakespeare's  '  King  Lear'  has  been  prohibited, 
because  the  public  might  believe  princes  would  lose  their  heads  if 
weighed  down  by  misfortunes.  'Hamlet, '  'Richard  the  Third, '  and 
'Macbeth'  must  not  be  performed,  because  people  might  get  accus- 
tomed to  the  dethronement  and  assassination  of  emperors  and  kings. 
Schiller's  'Mary  Stuart'  is  looked  upon  as  an  allusion  to  Marie 
Antoinette;  'Wallenstein'  and 'Tell' are  ostracized,  because  they 
might  provoke  revolutions  and  military  mutinies.  The 'Merchant 
of  Venice'  must  not  be  performed,  because  it  might  give  rise  to 
riotous  proceedings  against  the  Jews;  and  in  Schiller's 'Love  and 
Intrigue, '  President  de  Kalb  has  been  transformed  into  a  plebeian 
viccdomus,  in  order  to  maintain  the  respect  due  to  the  nobility  and 
to  the  government  functionaries.  It  is  true,  it  is  permitted  to 
represent  villains  and  impostors  on  the  stage,  but  they  must  never  be 
noblemen  ;  and  if  men  of  ideal  character  are  to  be  brought  upon  the 
stage,  they  must  be  either  princes,  counts,  or  police«directors.  For 
even  more  sacred  than  the  dignity  of  the  highest  classes  is  the  holy 
police,  the  great  guardian  of  the  government,  the  great  spy  watching 
the  people,  who  are  being  deprived  of  everything;  to  whom  every 
intellectual  enjoyment,  every  free  manifestation  of  their  enthusiasm 
is  forbidden,  and  who  are  yet  required  to  deem  themselves  happy, 
and  that  they  shall  be  faithfully  attached  to  their  government !  If 
the  government  enslaves  the  people,  it  must  expect  that  these  slaves 
will  lose  all  sense  of  honor  and  justice,  and  willingly  sell  themselves 
to  him  who  holds  out  to  them  the  most  glittering  offers,  and  knows 


278  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

best  how  to  tempt  them  by  golden  promises ! — I  am  through,  you* 
excellency, "  said  Johannes  Mtiller,  drawing  a  deep  breath  ;  "  I  have 
recited  to  you  my  whole  chapter  on  the  literature  of  Austria,  and  1 
thank  you  for  having  listened  to  me  so  patiently.  Now  it  is  for 
your  excellency  alone  to  decide  whether  you  deem  me  worthy  of 
filling  the  honorable  position  you  have  offered.  I  am  ready  to  accept 
it,  and  to  write  the  history  of  our  times  in  this  spirit,  and  shall  be 
very  grateful  if  your  excellency  will  grant  me  for  this  purpose  your 
protection  and  a  salary  of  four  thousand  florins. " 

Thugut  looked  with  an  air  of  pride  and  disdain  into  his  glowing 
face. 

"My  dear  sir,"  he  said,  after  a  long  pause — "my  dear  sir,  I  was 
mistaken  in  you,  for  I  believed  you  to  have  a  clear  head  and  a  strong 
mind,  and  I  perceive  now  that  you  are  nothing  but  a  weak  enthu- 
siast, dreaming  of  ideal  fancies  which  one  day  will  turn  out  entirely 
differently  ;  to  become  spectres,  from  which  you  will  shrink  back  in 
dismay.  You  will  not  always  remain  the  enthusiastic  admirer  of 
freedom  as  at  present ;  and  the  proud  republican  will  one  day,  per- 
haps, be  transformed  into  the  obedient  servant  of  a  tyrant.  You 
assured  me  quite  haughtily  that  you  had  no  stain  on  your  conscience  ; 
let  me  tell  you,  sir,  that  there  is  a  stain  on  your  character,  and  I 
should  have  profited  by  it — you  are  vain.  I  should  not  have  tried 
to  bribe  you  with  money,  but  with  flattery,  and  I  had  been  success- 
ful. I  had  too  good  an  opinion  of  you,  however.  I  believed  you 
had  a  vigorous  mind,  capable  of  comprehending  what  is  necessary 
and  useful,  and  of  preferring  the  practical  and  advantageous  to  the 
ideal.  Although  a  native  of  Switzerland,  you  are  a  genuine  German 
dreamer,  and  I  hate  dreamers.  Go,  sir,  remain  custodian  of  the 
Imperial  Library  and  complete  your  catalogues,  but  never  imagine 
that  you  will  be  able  with  your  weak  hand  to  stem  the  wheel  of 
history  and  of  political  affairs  ;  the  wheel  would  only  destroy  your 
hand  and  what  little  glory  you  have  obtained,  and  hurl  you  aside 
like  a  crushed  dog.  Farewell !" 

He  turned  his  back  upon  Johannes  Muller,  and  placed  himself  at 
the  window  until  the  soft  noise  of  the  closing  door  told  him  that 
the  historian  had  left  him. 

"What  a  fool!"  he  said.  Then,  turning  around  again — "a 
genuine  German  fool !  Wanted  to  lecture  me—  me!  " 

And,  amused  by  the  idea,  Thugut  burst  into  loud  laughter.  He 
then  rang  the  bell  violently,  and  as  soon  as  the  valet  de  chambre 
made  his  appearance  he  ordered  him  to  get  the  carriage  ready  for 
him. 

Fifteen  minutes  later  the  minister  left  the  chancery  of  state  for 
the  purpose  of  repairing,  as  was  his  custom  every  evening,  to  his 


THUGUT'S  FALL.  279 

garden  in  the  Wahringer  Street.  The  streets  through  which  he  had 
to  pass  were  crowded  with  citizens,  who  were  talking  with  ill- 
concealed  rage  about  the  fresh  defeat  of  the  Austrians  at  Marengo, 
and  were  loudly  calling  out  that  Minister  Thugut  was  alone  to 
blame  for  Austria's  misfortunes,  and  that  he  was  the  only  obstacle 
that  prevented  the  emperor  from  making  peace.  And  the  people 
surrounded  the  well-known  carriage  of  the  minister  with  constantly- 
increasing  exasperation,  and  cried  in  a  constantly  louder  and  more 
menacing  tone  :  "We  do  not  want  war  !  We  want  peace  !  peace  !" 

Thugut  was  leaning  back  comfortably  on  the  cushions  of  his 
carriage.  He  seemed  not  to  hear  the  shouts  of  the  people,  and  not 
to  deem  them  worthy  of  the  slightest  notice.  Only  when  the  tumult 
increased  in  violence,  and  when  the  incensed  people  commenced 
hurling  stones  and  mud  at  his  carriage,  the  minister  rose  for  a 
moment  in  order  to  look  out  with  an  air  of  profound  disdain.  He 
then  leaned  back  on  his  seat,  and  muttered,  with  a  glance  of  inde- 
scribable contempt : 

"Canaille!"* 


CHAPTER     XXXVI. 

THUGUT'S  FALL. 

TIDINGS  of  fresh  defeats  had  reached  Vienna ;  more  disasters  had 
befallen  the  army,  and  the  great  victory  of  Marengo  had  been  fol- 
lowed, on  the  3d  of  December,  1800,  by  the  battle  of  Hohenlinden, 
in  which  Moreau  defeated  the  Austrians  under  Archduke  John. 

Even  Thugut,  the  immovable  and  constant  prime  minister,  felt 
alarmed  at  so  many  calamities,  and  he  was  generally  in  a  gloomy 
and  spiteful  humor. 

He  felt  that  there  was  a  power  stronger  than  his  will,  and  this 
feeling  maddened  him  with  anger,  pe  was  sitting  at  his  desk, 
with  a  clouded  brow  and  closely  compressed  lips,  his  sullen  eyes 
fixed  on  the  papers  before  him,  which  a  courier,  just  arrived  from 
the  headquarters  of  the  army,  had  delivered  to  him.  They  contained 
evil  tidings ;  they  informed  him  of  the  immense  losses  of  the 
Austrians,  and  of  the  insolence  of  the  victorious  French  general, 
who  had  only  granted  the  Austrian  application  for  an  armistice  on 
condition  that  the  fortresses  of  Ulm,  Ingolstadt  and  Philipsburg  be 
surrendered  to  him  ;  and  these  humiliating  terms  had  been  complied 
with  in  order  to  gam  time  and  to  concentrate  a  new  army.  For 
Thugut's  stubbornness  had  not  been  broken  yet,  and  he  still  obsti- 
'Hormayer's  "  Lebensbilder,"  vol.  i.,  p.  230. 


280  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

nately  refused  to  conclude  the  peace  so  urgently  desired  by  the 
whole  Austrian  people,  nay,  by  the  emperor  himself. 

"No,  no,  no  peace !"  he  muttered,  when  he  had  perused  the  dis- 
patches. "  We  will  fight  on,  even  though  we  should  be  buried  under 
the  ruins  of  Austria !  I  hate  that  revolutionary  France,  and  I  shall 
never  condescend  to  extend  my  hand  to  it  for  the  purpose  of  making 
peace.  We  will  fight  on,  and  no  one  shall  dare  to  talk  to  me  about 
peace !" 

A  low  rap  at  the  door  leading  to  the  reception-room  interrupted 
his  soliloquy,  and  when  he  had  harshly  called  out,  "  Come  in, "  his 
valet  de  chambre  appeared  in  the  door. 

"  Your  excellency, "  he  said,  timdly,  "  Counts  Colloredo,  Saurau, 
and  Lehrbach  have  just  arrived,  and  desire  to  obtain  an  interview 
with  your  excellency. " 

Not  a  muscle  moved  in  Thugut's  face  to  betray  his  surprise,  and 
he  ordered  the  servant  in  a  perfectly  calm  voice  to  admit  the  gentle- 
men immediately.  He  then  hastily  walked  to  the  door  for  the 
purpose  of  meeting  them.  They  entered  a  few  minutes  later  :  first, 
Count  Colloredo,  minister  of  the  imperial  household ;  next,  Count 
Saurau,  minister  of  police ;  and  last,  Count  Lehrbach,  minister 
without  portfolio.  Thugut  surveyed  the  three  dignitaries  with  a 
single  searching  glance.  He  perceived  that  good-natured  Count 
Colloredo  looked  rather  frightened  ;  that  the  ferocious  eyes  of  Count 
Lehrbach  were  glistening  like  those  of  a  tiger  just  about  to  lacerate 
his  victim ;  and  that  Count  Saurau,  that  diplomatist  generally  so 
impenetrable,  permitted  a  triumphant  smile  to  play  on  his  lips. 
With  the  sure  tact  which  Thugut  never  lost  sight  of,  he  saw  from 
the  various  miens  of  these  three  gentlemen  what  had  occasioned 
their  call  upon  him,  and  his  mind  was  made  up  at  once. 

He  received  them,  however,  with  a  pleasant  salutation,  and  took 
the  hand  of  Count  Colloredo  in  order  to  conduct  him  to  an  arm- 
chair. Colloredo' s  hand  was  cold  and  trembling,  and  Thugut  said 
to  himself,  u  He  is  charged  with  a  very  disagreeable  message  for  me, 
and  he  is  afraid  to  deliver  ft. " 

"  Your  excellency  is  doubtless  astonished  to  see  us  disturb  you 
at  so  unexpected  an  hour, "  said  Count  Colloredo,  in  a  tremulous 
voice,  when  the  four  gentlemen  had  taken  seats. 

"No,  I  am  not  astonished, "  said  Thugut,  calmly.  "You,  gentle- 
men, on  the  contrary,  have  only  anticipated  niy  wishes.  I  was 
just  about  to  invite  you  to  see  me  for  the  purpose  of  holding  a  con- 
sultation, very  disastrous  tidings  having  arrived  from  the  head- 
quarters of  our  army.  We  have  lost  a  battle  at  Hohenlinden — Arch- 
duke John  has  been  defeated. " 

"And  Moreau  has  already  crossed  the  Inn  and  is  now  advancing 


THUGUT'S  FALL.  281 

upon  Vienna,"  said  Count  Lehrbach,  with  a  sneer.  "You  have 
made  some  terrible  mistakes  in  your  hopes  of  victory,  minister. " 

"Yes,  indeed,  you  have  made  some  terrible  mistakes,  my  dear 
little  baron, "  said  Count  Saurau,  laying  particular  stress  on  the  last 
words. 

Thugut  fixed  a  laughing  look  on  him.  "  Why, "  he  said,  "  how 
tender  we  are  to-day,  and  how  big  your  beak  has  grown,  my  dear 
little  count !  You  seem  but  slightly  afflicted  by  the  misfortunes  of 
the  empire,  for  your  face  is  as  radiant  as  that  of  a  young  cock  that 
has  just  driven  a  rival  from  its  dunghill.  But  it  must  have  been  a 
very  stupid  old  cock  that  has  condescended  to  fight  with  you.  Now, 
my  dear  Count  Colloredo,  let  us  talk  about  business.  We  have  been 
defeated  at  Hohenlinden,  and  Moreau  is  advancing  upon  Vienna. 
These  are  two  facts  that  cannot  be  disputed.  But  we  shall  recover 
from  these  blows  ;  we  shall  send  a  fresh  army  against  Moreau,  and 
it  will  avenge  our  previous  disasters. " 

"  However,  your  excellency,  that  is  a  mere  hope,  and  we  may  be 
disappointed  again, "  replied  Colloredo,  anxiously.  "  The  emperor, 
my  gracious  master,  has  lost  faith  in  our  victories,  unless  we  should 
have  an  able  and  tried  general  at  the  head  of  our  forces — a  general 
equally  trusted  by  the  army  and  the  nation. " 

"Let  us,  then,  place  such  a  general  at  the  head  of  the  army," 
said  Thugut,  calmly  ;  "  let  us  immediately  appoint  Archduke  Charles 
commander- in-chief  of  the  Austrian  forces." 

"Ah,  I  am  glad  that  you  consent  to  it,"  exclaimed  Colloredo, 
joyfully,  "for  the  emperor  has  just  instructed  me  to  go  to  his  dis- 
tinguished brother  and  to  request  him  in  the  name  of  his  majesty 
to  resume  the  command- in-chief. " 

"Well,  he  will  accept  it,"  said  Thugut,  smiling,  "for  command- 
ing and  ruling  always  is  a  very  agreeable  occupation  ;  and  man}'  a 
one  would  be  ready  and  willing  to  betray  his  benefactor  and  friend, 
if  he  thereby  could  acquire  power  and  distinction.  Are  you  not, 
too,  of  this  opinion,  my  dear  little  Count  Saurau?  Ah,  you  do  not 
know  how  tenderly  I  am  devoted  to  you.  You  are  the  puppet  which 
I  have  raised  and  fostered,  and  which  I  wanted  to  transform  into  a 
man  according  to  my  own  views.  I  am  not  to  blame  if  you  have 
not  become  a  man,  but  always  remained  only  a  machine  to  be 
directed  by  another  hand.  Beware,  my  dear,  of  ever  falling  into 
unskilful  or  bad  hands,  for  then  you  would  be  lost,  notwithstanding 
your  elasticity  and  pliability.  But  you  have  got  a  worthy  friend 
there  at  your  side,  noble,  excellent  Count  Lehrbach.  Do  you  know, 
my  dear  Count  Lehrbach,  that  there  are  evil-disposed  persons  who 
often  tried  to  prejudice  me  against  you,  who  wanted  to  insinuate 
you  were  a  rival  of  mine,  and  were  notoriously  anxious  to  supplant 


282  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

me  and  to  become  prime  minister  in  my  place?  Truly,  these  anx- 
ious men  actually  went  so  far  as  to  caution  me  against  you." 

"And  did  not  your  excellency  make  any  reply  to  them?"  asked 
Count  Lehrbach,  laughing. 

"  Parbleu,  you  ask  me  whether  I  have  made  a  reply  to  them  or 
not?"  said  Thugut.  "I  have  always  replied  to  those  warning 
voices :  'I  need  not  break  Count  Lehrbach 's  neck ;  he  will  attend  to 
that  himself.  I  like  to  push  a  man  forward  whom  I  am  able  to  hang 
at  any  time. '  "  * 

"  But  you  have  not  taken  into  consideration  that  the  man  whom 
you  are  pushing  forward  might  reach  back  and  afford  you  the  same 
pleasure  which  you  had  in  store  for  him,"  exclaimed  Lehrbach, 
laughing  boisterously. 

"  Yes,  that  is  true, "  said  Thugut,  artlessly ;  "  I  ought  to  have 
been  afraid  of  you,  after  all,  and  to  perceive  that  you  have  got  a 
nail  in  your  head  on  which  one  may  be  hanged  very  comfortably. 
But,  my  friends,  we  detain  Count  Colloredo  by  our  jokes,  and  you 
are  aware  that  he  must  hasten  to  the  archduke  in  order  to  beg  him 
to  become  our  commander-in-chief  and  to  sign  a  treaty  of  peace 
with  France.  For  I  believe  we  will  make  peace  at  all  events. " 

"We  shall  make  peace  provided  we  fulfil  the  conditions  which 
Bonaparte  has  exacted, "  said  Count  Colloredo,  timidly. 

"  Ah,  he  has  exacted  conditions,  and  these  conditions  have  been 
addressed  to  the  emperor  and  not  to  myself?"  asked  Thugut. 

"The  dispatches  were  addressed  to  me,  the  minister  of  the  im- 
perial household,"  said  Count  Colloredo,  modestly.  "The  first  of 
these  conditions  is  that  Austria  and  France  make  peace  without 
letting  England  participate  in  the  negotiations. " 

"  And  the  second  condition  is  beaming  already  on  Count  Lehr- 
bach's  forehead,"  said  Thugut,  calmly.  "Bonaparte  demands  that 
I  shall  withdraw  from  the  cabinet,  as  my  dismissal  would  be  to  him 
a  guaranty  of  the  pacific  intentions  of  Austria,  f  Am  I  mistaken?" 

"You  are  not;  but  the  emperor,  gratefully  acknowledging  the 
long  and  important  services  your  excellency  has  rendered  to  the 
state,  will  not  fulfil  this  condition  and  incur  the  semblance  of 
ingratitude. 

"Austria  and  my  emperor  require  a  sacrifice  of  me,  and  I  am 
ready  to  make  it,"  said  Thugut,  solemnly.  "I  shall  write  imme- 
diately to  his  majesty  the  emperor  and  request  him  to  permit  me 
to  withdraw  from  the  service  of  the  state  without  delay. " 

Count  Colloredo  sighed  mournfully ;  Count  Saurau  smiled,  and 
Count  Lehrbach  laughed  in  Thugut's  face  with  the  mien  of  a  hyena. 

*  Thugut  "a  own  words.— Hormayer's  "  Lebensbilder,"  voL  i.,  p.  882. 
t  HKusaer's  "History  of  Germany,"  vol.  iL,  p. 324. 


THUGUT'S  FALL.  283 

"And  do  you  know  who  will  be  your  successor?"  asked  the 
latter. 

"My  dear  sir,  I  shall  have  no  successor,  only  a  miserable  imi- 
tator, and  you  will  be  that  imitator, "  said  Thugut,  proudly.  "  But 
I  give  you  my  word  that  this  task  will  not  be  intrusted  to  you  for  a 
long  while.  I  shall  now  draw  up  my  request  to  the  emperor,  and  I 
beg  you,  gentlemen,  to  deliver  it  to  his  majesty. " 

Without  saying  another  word  he  went  to  his  desk,  hastily  wrote 
a  few  lines  on  a  sheet  of  paper,  which  he  then  sealed  and  directed. 

"  Count  Colloredo, "  he  said,  "  be  kind  enough  to  hand  this  letter 
to  the  emperor. " 

Count  Colloredo  took  it  with  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  he 
drew  a  sealed  letter  from  his  bosom. 

"  And  here,  your  excellency, "  he  said — "  here  I  have  the  honor  to 
present  to  you  his  majesty's  reply.  The  emperor,  fully  cognizant 
of  your  noble  and  devoted  patriotism,  was  satisfied  in  advance  that 
you  would  be  ready  to  sacrifice  yourself  on  the  altar  of  the  country, 
and,  however  grievous  the  resolution,  he  was  determined  to  accept 
thesacrifice.  The  emperor  grants  your  withdrawal  from  the  service 
of  the  state  ;  and  Count  Louis  Cobenzl,  who  is  to  set  out  within  a  few 
hours  for  Luneville,  in  order  to  open  there  the  peace  conference  with 
the  brother  of  the  First  Consul,  Joseph  Bonaparte,  will  take  along  the 
official  announcement  of  this  change  in  the  imperial  cabinet.  Count 
Lehrbach,  I  have  the  honor  to  present  to  you,  in  the  name  of  the 
emperor,  this  letter,  by  which  his  majesty  appoints  you  minister  of 
the  interior. " 

He  handed  to  Count  Lehrbach  a  letter,  which  the  latter  hastily 
opened  and  glanced  over  with  greedy  eyes. 

"And  you,  my  dear  little  Count  Saurau?"  asked  Thugut,  com- 
passionately. "  Have  they  not  granted  you  any  share  whatever  in 
the  spoils?" 

"  Yes,  they  have ;  I  have  received  the  honorable  commission  to 
communicate  to  the  good  people  of  Vienna  the  joyful  news  that 
Baron  Thugut  has  been  dismissed, "  said  Count  Saurau  ;  "  and  I  shall 
now  withdraw  in  order  to  fulfil  this  commission." 

He  nodded  sneeringly  to  Thugut,  bowed  respectfully  to  Count 
Colloredo,  and  left  the  minister's  cabinet. 

"  I  am  avenged, "  he  muttered,  while  crossing  the  anteroom ; 
"henceforward  the  shipbuilder's  son  will  call  me  no  longer  his  'dear 
little  count. ' " 

"And  I  shall  withdraw,  too,"  said  Count  Lehrbach,  with  a  scorn- 
ful smile.  "  I  shall  withdraw  in  order  to  make  all  necessary  prepa- 
rations, so  that  my  furniture  and  horses  can  be  brought  here  to- 
morrow to  the  building  of  the  chancery  of  state.  For  I  suppose, 
MUULBACII — M  VOL.  7 


284  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Baron  Thugut,  you  will  move  out  of  this  house  in  the  course  of  to- 
day?" 

"Yes,  I  shall,  and  you  will  withdraw  now,  sir,"  said  Thugut, 
dismissing  the  count  with  a  haughty  wave  of  his  hand. 

Count  Lehrbach  went  out  laughing,  and  Count  Colloredo  re- 
mained alone  with  Thugut. 

"  And  you, "  asked  Thugut,  "  do  not  you  wish  to  take  leave  of  me 
by  telling  me  something  that  might  hurt  my  feelings?" 

"  I  have  to  tell  you  a  great  many  things,  but  nothing  that  will 
hurt  your  feelings, "  said  Colloredo,  gently.  "  First  of  all  things,  I 
must  beg  you  not  to  deprive  me  of  your  friendship  and  advice,  but 
to  assist  me  as  heretofore.  I  need  your  advice  and  your  help  more 
than  ever,  and  shall  do  nothing  without  previously  ascertaining 
your  will. " 

"  The  emperor  will  not  permit  it, "  said  Thugut,  gloomily.  "  He 
will  require  you  to  break  off  all  intercourse  with  me. " 

"On  the  contrary,"  whispered  Colloredo,  "the  emperor  desires 
you  always  to  assist  him  and  myself  by  your  counsels.  The  emperor 
desires  you  to  be  kind  enough  to  call  every  day  upon  me  in  order  to 
consider  with  me  the  affairs  of  the  day,  and  there,  accidentally  of 
course,  you  will  meet  his  majesty,  who  wants  to  obtain  the  advice 
of  your  experience  and  wisdom.  You  will  remain  minister,  but 
incognito. " 

A  flash  of  joy  burst  forth  from  Thugut's  eyes,  but  he  quickly 
suppressed  it  again. 

"And  shall  I  meet  in  your  house  sometimes  your  wife,  the  beau- 
tiful Countess  Victoria?"  he  asked. 

"Victoria  implores  you,  through  my  mouth,  to  trust  her  and 
never  to  doubt  of  her  friendship.  I  beg  you  to  receive  the  same 
assurance  as  far  as  I  am  concerned.  You  have  rendered  both  of  us 
so  happy,  my  dear  baron  ;  you  were  the  mediator  of  a  marriage  in 
which  both  of  us,  Victoria  as  well  as  myself,  have  found  the  highest 
bliss  on  earth,  and  never  shall  we  cease  to  be  grateful  to  you  for  it ; 
nor  shall  we  ever  be  able  or  willing  to  do  without  your  advice  and 
assistance.  You  are  our  head,  we  are  your  arms,  and  the  head 
commanding  the  arms,  we  shall  always  obey  you.  Victoria  implores 
you  to  tell  her  any  thing  you  desire,  so  that  she  may  give  you  forth- 
with a  proof  of  her  willingness  to  serve  you.  She  has  charged  me 
to  ask  you  to  do  so  as  a  proof  of  your  friendship. " 

"  Well, "  said  Thugut,  laughing,  "  I  accept  your  offer,  as  well  as 
that  of  your  beautiful  wife  Victoria.  Count  Lehrbach  has  been  ap- 
pointed minister  and  he  wants  even  to  move  to-morrow  into  the 
chancery  of  state.  We  will  let  him  move  in  early  in  the  morning, 
but,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  the  emperor  will  do  well  to  send  him 


THUGUT' S  FALL.  285 

his  dismissal,  for  Count  Lehrbach  is  unworthy  of  being  his  majesty's 
minister  of  state.  His  hand  is  stained  with  the  blood  which  was 
shed  at  Rastadt,  and  a  minister's  hand  must  be  clean." 

"But  whom  shall  we  appoint  minister  in  Lehrbach's  place?" 

"  Count  Louis  Cobenzl,  for  his  name  will  offer  the  best  guaranty 
of  our  pacific  intentions  toward  France. " 

"But  Count  Cobenzl  is  to  go  to  Luneville  to  attend  the  peace 
conference. " 

"  Let  him  do  so,  and  until  his  return  let  Count  Trautmannsdorf 
temporarily  discharge  the  duties  of  his  office." 

"Ah,  that  is  true,  that  is  a  splendid  idea!"  exclaimed  Count 
Colloredo,  joyfully.  "You  are  a  very  sagacious  and  prudent  states- 
man, and  I  shall  hasten  to  lay  your  advice  before  the  emperor.  You 
may  rest  assured  that  every  thing  shall  be  done  in  accordance  with 
your  wishes.  Lehrbach  remains  minister  until  to-morrow  at  noon  ; 
he  then  receives  his  dismissal,  Count  Louis  Cobenzl  will  be  appointed 
his  successor,  and  Count  Trautmannsdorf  will  temporarily  discharge 
the  duties  of  the  office  until  Cobenzl 's  re  turn  from  Luneville.  Shall 
it  be  done  in  this  manner?" 

"  Yes,  it  shall, "  said  Thugut,  almost  sternly. 

"But  this  does  not  fulfil  Victoria's  prayer,"  said  the  count,  anx- 
iously. "I  am  able  to  attend  to  these  matters,  but  Victoria  also 
wants  to  give  you  a  proof  of  her  friendship. " 

"  Well,  I  ask  her  to  prepare  a  little  joke  for  me  and  you, "  replied 
Thugut.  "Count  Lehrbach  will  move  early  to-morrow  morning 
with  his  whole  furniture  into  the  chancery  of  state.  I  beg  Victoria 
to  bring  it  about  that  he  must  move  out  to-morrow  evening  with 
his  whole  furniture,  like  a  martin  found  in  the  dove-cote."  * 

"Ah,  that  will  be  a  splendid  joke,"  said  Count  Colloredo,  laugh- 
ing, "and  my  dear  Victoria  will  be  happy  to  afford  you  this  little 
satisfaction.  I  am  able  to  predict  that  Count  Lehrbach  will  be  com- 
pelled to  move  out  to-morrow  evening.  But  now,  my  dearest  friend, 
I  must  hasten  to  Archduke  Charles,  who,  as  you  are  aware,  is  pout- 
ing on  one  of  his  estates.  I  shall  at  once  repair  thither,  and  be 
absent  from  Vienna  for  two  days.  Meantime,  you  will  take  care  of 
Victoria  as  a  faithful  friend. " 

"  I  shall  take  care  of  her  if  the  countess  will  permit  me  to  do  so, " 
said  Thugut,  smiling,  and  accompanying  Count  Colloredo  to  the  door. 

His  eyes  followed  him  for  a  long  while  with  an  expression  of 
haughty  disdain. 

*  Thugut's  wishes  were  fulfilled.  Count  Lehrbach  lost  on  the  very  next  day  his 
scarcely -obtained  portfolio,  and  he  was  compelled  to  remove  the  furniture  which,  in 
rude  haste  he  had  sent  to  the  chancery  of  state  in  the  morning,  in  the  course  of  the 
same  evening.— Vide  Hormayer's  "  Lebensbilder,"  vol.  i.,  p.  330. 


286  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

"  The  fools  remain, "  he  said, "  and  I  must  go.  But  no,  I  shall  not 
go !  Let  the  world  believe  me  to  be  a  dismissed  minister,  I  remain 
minister  after  all.  I  shall  rule  through  my  creatures,  Colloredo  and 
Victoria.  I  remain  minister  until  I  shall  be  tired  of  all  these  mis- 
erable intrigues,  and  retire  in  order  to  live  for  myself. "  * 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

FANNY  VON  ARNSTEIN. 

THE  young  Baroness  Fanny  von  Arnstein  had  just  finished  her 
morning  toilet  and  stepped  from  her  dressing-room  into  her  boudoir, 
in  order  to  take  her  chocolate  there,  solitary  and  alone  as  ever. 
With  a  gentle  sigh  she  glided  into  the  arm-chair,  and  instead  of 
drinking  the  chocolate  placed  before  her  in  a  silver  breakfast  set  on 
the  table,  she  leaned  her  head  against  the  back  of  her  chair  and 
dreamily  looked  up  to  the  ceiling.  Her  bosom  heaved  profound 
sighs  from  time  to  time,  and  the  ideas  which  were  moving  her 
heart  and  her  soul  ever  and  anon  caused  a  deeper  blush  to  mantle 
her  cheeks  ;  but  it  quickly  disappeared  again,  and  was  followed  by 
an  even  more  striking  pallor. 

She  was  suddenly  startled  from  her  musings  by  a  soft,  timid  rap 
at  the  door  leading  to  the  reception-room. 

"  Good  Heaven  !"  she  whispered,  "  I  hope  he  will  not  dare  to  come 
to  me  so  early,  and  without  being  announced. " 

The  rapping  at  the  door  was  renewed.  "  I  cannot,  will  not  receive 
him, "  she  muttered  ;  "  it  will  be  better  not  to  be  alone  with  him  any 
more.  I  will  bolt  the  door  and  make  no  reply  whatever. " 

She  glided  with  soft  steps  across  the  room  to  the  door,  and  was 
just  about  to  bolt  it,  when  the  rapping  resounded  for  the  third  time, 
and  a  modest  female  voice  asked  : 

"  Are  you  there,  baroness,  and  may  I  walk  in  ?" 

"  Ah,  it  is  only  my  maid, "  whispered  the  baroness,  drawing  a 
deep  breath,  as  though  an  oppressive  burden  were  removed  from  her 
breast,  and  she  opened  the  door  herself. 

*  Thugut  really  withdrew  definitely  from  the  political  stage,  but  secretly  he  re- 
tained his  full  power  and  authority,  and  Victoria  de  Poutet-Colloredo,  the  influential 
friend  of  the  Empress  Theresia,  constantly  remained  his  faithful  adherent  and  con- 
fidante. All  Vienna,  however,  was  highly  elated  by  the  dismissal  of  Thugut,  who  had 
so  long  ruled  the  empire  in  the  most  arbitrary  manner.  An  instance  of  his  system  is 
the  fact  that,  on  his  withdrawal  from  the  cabinet,  there  were  found  one  hundred  and 
seventy  unopened  dispatches  and  more  than  two  thousand  unopened  letters.  Thugut 
only  perused  what  he  believed  to  be  worth  the  trouble  of  being  read,  and  to  the  re- 
mainder he  paid  no  attention  whatever.—"  Lebensbilder,"  vol.  i.,  p.  827. 


FANNY  VON  ARNSTEIN.  287 

"Well,  Fanchon, "  she  asked,  in  her  gentle,  winning  voice,  "what 
do  you  want?" 

"Pardon  me,  baroness,"  said  the  maid,  casting  an  inquisitive 
look  around  the  room,  "  the  baron  sent  for  me  just  now  ;  he  asked 
me  if  you  had  risen  already  and  entered  your  boudoir,  and  when  I 
replied  in  the  affirmative,  the  baron  gave  me  a  message  for  you, 
with  the  express  order,  however,  not  to  deliver  it  until  you  had 
taken  your  chocolate  and  finished  your  breakfast.  I  see  now  that  I 
must  not  yet  deliver  it ;  the  breakfast  is  still  on  the  table  just  as  it 
was  brought  in. " 

"  Take  it  away ;  I  do  not  want  to  eat  any  thing, "  said  the  baroness, 
hastily.  "  And  now  Fanchon,  tell  me  your  errand. " 

Fanchon  approached  the  table,  and  while  she  seized  the  silver 
salver,  she  cast  a  glance  of  tender  anxiety  on  her  pale,  beautiful 
mistress. 

"  You  are  eating  nothing  at  all,  baroness, "  she  said,  timidly ; 
"  for  a  week  already  I  have  had  to  remove  the  breakfast  every  morn- 
ing in  the  same  manner ;  you  never  tasted  a  morsel  of  it,  and  the 
valet  de  chambre  says  that  you  hardly  eat  any  thing  at  the  dinner- 
table  either ;  you  will  be  taken  ill,  baroness,  if  you  go  on  in  this 
manner,  and — : 

"Never  mind,  dear  Fanchon,"  her  mistress  interrupted  her 
with  a  gentle  smile,  "  I  have  hardly  any  appetite,  it  is  true,  but  I 
do  not  feel  unwell,  nor  do  I  want  to  be  taken  ill.  Let  us  say  no 
more  about  it,  and  tell  me  the  message  the  baron  intrusted  to  you. " 

"  The  baron  wished  me  to  ask  you  if  you  would  permit  him  to 
pay  you  immediately  a  visit,  and  if  you  would  receive  him  here  in 
your  boudoir. " 

The  baroness  started,  and  an  air  of  surprise  overspread  her  fea- 
tures. "  Tell  the  baron  that  he  will  be  welcome,  and  that  I  am  wait- 
ing for  him, "  she  said  then,  calmly.  But  so  soon  as  Fanchon  had 
withdrawn,  she  whispered:  "What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this? 
What  is  the  reason  of  this  unusual  visit?  Oh,  my  knees  are  trem- 
bling, and  my  heart  is  beating  so  violently,  as  though  it  wanted  to 
burst.  Why?  What  have  I  done,  then?  Ain  I  a  criminal,  who  is 
afraid  to  appear  before  her  judge  ?" 

She  sank  back  into  her  arm-chair  and  covered  her  blushing  face 
with  her  hands.  "No,"  she  said,  after  a  long  pause,  raising  her 
head  again,  "no,  I  am  no  criminal,  and  my  conscience  is  guiltless. 
I  am  able  to  raise  my  eyes  freely  to  my  husband  and  to  my  God. 
So  far,  I  have  honestly  struggled  against  my  own  heart,  and  I  shall 
struggle  on  in  the  same  manner.  I — ah  !  he  is  coming, "  she  inter- 
rupted herself  when  she  heard  steps  in  the  adjoining  room,  and  her 
eyes  were  fixed  with  an  expression  of  anxious  suspense  on  the  door. 


288  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

The  latter  opened,  and  her  husband,  Baron  Arnstein,  entered. 
His  face  was  pale,  and  indicative  of  deep  emotion  ;  nevertheless,  he 
saluted  his  wife  with  a  kind  smile,  and  bent  down  in  order  to  kiss 
her  hand,  which  she  had  silently  given  to  him. 

"I  suppose  you  expected  me?"  he  asked.  "You  knew,  even  be- 
fore I  sent  Fanchon  to  you,  that  I  should  come  and  see  you  at  the 
present  hour?" 

Fanny  looked  at  him  inquiringly,  and  in  surprise.  "  I  confess, " 
she  said,  in  an  embarrassed  tone,  "that  I  did  not  anticipate  your 
visit  by  any  means  until  Fanchon  announced  it  to  me,  and  I  only 
mention  it  to  apologize  for  the  dishabille  in  which  you  find  me. " 

"Ah,  you  did  not  expect  me,  then?"  exclaimed  the  baron, 
mournfully.  "You  have  forgotten  every  thing?  You  did  not  re- 
member that  this  is  the  anniversary  of  our  wedding,  and  that  five 
years  have  elapsed  since  that  time  ?" 

"  Indeed, "  whispered  Fanny,  in  confusion,  "  I  did  not  know  that 
this  was  the  day. " 

"  You  felt  its  burden  day  after  day,  and  it  seemed  to  you,  there- 
fore, as  though  that  ill-starred  day  were  being  renewed  for  you  all 
the  year  round,"  exclaimed  the  baron,  sadly.  "Pardon  my  im- 
petuosity and  my  complaints,"  he  continued,  when  he  saw  that  she 
turned  pale  and  averted  her  face.  "  I  will  be  gentle,  and  you  shall 
have  no  reason  to  complain  of  me.  But  as  you  have  forgotten  the 
agreement  which  we  made  five  years  ago,  permit  me  to  remind  you 
of  it." 

He  took  a  chair,  and,  sitting  down  opposite  her,  fixed  a  long, 
melancholy  look  upon  her.  "  When  I  led  you  to  the  altar  five  years 
ago  to-day,"  he  said,  feelingly,  "you  were,  perhaps,  less  beautiful 
than  now,  less  brilliant,  less  majestic ;  but  you  were  in  better  and 
less  despondent  spirits,  although  you  were  about  to  marry  a  man 
who  was  entirely  indifferent  to  you. " 

"Oh,  I  did  not  say  that  you  were  indifferent  to  me,"  said  Fanny, 
in  a  low  voice  ;  "only  I  did  not  know  you,  and,  therefore,  did  not 
love  you. " 

"  You  see  that  want  of  acquaintance  was  not  the  only  reason, "  he 
said,  with  a  bitter  smile,  "for  now,  I  believe,  you  know  me,  and 
yet  you  do  not  love  me.  But  let  us  speak  of  what  brought  me  here 
to-day — of  the  past.  You  know  that,  before  our  marriage,  you 
afforded  me  the  happiness  of  a  long  and  confidential  interview,  that 
you  permitted  me  to  look  down  into  the  depths  of  your  pure  and 
noble  soul,  that  you  unveiled  to  me  your  innocent  heart,  that  did 
not  yet  exhibit  either  scars  or  wounds,  nor  even  an  image,  a  souvenir, 
and  allowed  me  to  be  your  brother  and  your  friend,  as  you  would 
not  accept  me  as  a  lover  and  husband.  Before  the  world,  however, 


FANNY  VON  ARNSTEIN.  289 

I  became  your  husband,  and  took  you  to  Vienna,  to  my  house,  of 
which  you  were  to  be  the  mistress  and  queen.  The  whole  house  was 
gayly  decorated,  and  all  the  rooms  were  opened,  for  your  arrival 
was  to  be  celebrated  by  a  ball.  Only  one  door  was  locked  ;  it  was 
the  door  of  this  cabinet.  I  conducted  you  hither  and  said  to  you, 
'This  is  your  sanctuary,  and  no  one  shall  enter  it  without  your  per- 
mission. In  this  boudoir  you  are  not  the  Baroness  Arnstein,  not 
my  wife ;  but  here  you  are  Fanny  Itzig,  the  free  and  unshackled 
young  girl,  who  is  mistress  of  her  will  and  affections.  I  shall  never 
dare  myself,  without  being  expressly  authorized  by  you,  to  enter 
this  room. ;  and  when  I  shall  be  allowed  to  do  so,  I  shall  only  come 
as  a  cavalier,  who  has  the  honor  to  pay  a  polite  visit  to  a  beautiful 
lady,  to  whom  he  is  not  connected  in  any  manner  whatever.  Before 
the  world  I  am  your  husband,  but  not  in  this  room.  Hence  I  shall 
never  permit  myself  to  ask  what  you  are  doing  in  this  room,  whom 
you  are  receiving  here  ;  for  here  you  are  only  responsible  to  God  and 
yourself. '  Do  you  now  remember  that  I  said  this  to  you  at  that 
time?" 

«Ido." 

"  I  told  you  further  that  I  begged  you  to  continue  with  me  one 
day  here  in  this  room  the  confidential  conversation  which  we  held 
before  our  marriage.  I  begged  you  to  fix  a  period  of  five  years  for 
this  purpose,  and,  during  this  time,  to  examine  your  heart  and  to 
see  whether  life  at  my  side  was  at  least  a  tolerable  burden,  or 
whether  you  wished  to  shake  it  off.  I  asked  you  to  promise  me  that 
I  might  enter  this  room  on  the  fifth  anniversary  of  our  wedding- 
day,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  then  with  you  our  future  mode  of 
living.  You  were  kind  enough  to  grant  my  prayer,  and  to  promise 
what  I  asked.  Do  you  remember  it?" 

"  I  do, "  said  Fanny,  blushing ;  "  I  must  confess,  however,  that  I 
did  not  regard  those  words  in  so  grave  a  light  as  to  consider  them  as 
a  formal  obligation  on  your  part.  You  would  have  been  every  day 
a  welcome  guest  in  this  room,  and  it  was  unnecessary  for  you  to 
wait  for  a  particular  day  in  accordance  with  an  agreement  made 
five  years  ago. " 

"  Your  answer  is  an  evasive  one, "  said  the  baron,  sadly.  "  I  im- 
plore you,  let  us  now  again  speak  as  frankly  and  honestly  as  we  did 
five  years  ago  to-day  !  Will  you  grant  my  prayer?" 

"  I  will, "  replied  Fanny,  eagerly ;  "  and  I  am  going  to  prove  im- 
mediately that  I  am  in  earnest.  You  alluded  a  few  minutes  ago  to 
our  past,  and  asked  me  wonderingly  if  I  had  forgotten  that  inter- 
view on  our  wedding-day.  I  remember  it  so  well,  however,  that  I 
must  direct  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  you  have  forgotten  the 
principal  portion  of  what  we  said  to  each  other  at  that  time,  or 


290  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

rather  that,  in  your  generous  delicacy,  and  with  that  magnanimous 
kindness  which  you  alone  may  boast  of,  you  have  intentionally 
omitted  that  portion  of  it.  You  remembered  that  I  told  you  I  did 
not  love  you,  but  you  forgot  that  you  then  asked  me  if  I  loved 
another  man.  I  replied  to  you  that  I  loved  no  one,  and  never  shall 
I  forget  the  mournful  voice  in  which  you  then  said,  '  It  is  by  far 
easier  to  marry  with  a  cold  heart  than  to  do  so  with  a  broken  heart ; 
for  the  cold  heart  may  grow  warm,  but  the  broken  heart — never!' 
Oh,  do  not  excuse  yourself, "  she  continued,  with  greater  warmth ; 
"  do  not  take  me  for  so  conceited  and  narrow-minded  a  being  that  I 
should  have  regarded  those  words  of  yours  as  an  insult  offered  to 
me  !  It  was,  at  the  best,  but  a  pang  that  I  felt. " 

"A  pang?"  asked  the  baron,  in  surprise ;  and  he  fixed  his  dark 
eyes,  with  a  wondrously  impassioned  expression,  on  the  face  of  his 
beautiful  wife. 

"Yes,  I  felt  a  pang,"  she  exclaimed,  vividly,  "for,  on  hearing 
your  words,  which  evidently  issued  from  the  depths  of  your  soul, 
on  witnessing  your  unaffected  and  passionate  grief,  your  courageous 
self-abnegation,  I  felt  that  your  heart  had  received  a  wound  which 
never  would  close  again,  and  that  you  never  would  faithlessly  turn 
from  your  first  love  to  a  second  one. " 

"  Oh,  my  God, "  murmured  the  baron,  and  he  averted  his  face  in 
order  not  to  let  her  see  the  blush  suddenly  mantling  it. 

Fanny  did  not  notice  it,  and  continued  :  "  But  this  dead  love  of 
yours  laid  itself  like  the  cold  hand  of  a  corpse  upon  my  breast  and 
doomed  it  to  everlasting  coldness.  With  the  consciousness  that  you 
never  would  love  me,  I  had  to  cease  striving  for  it,  and  give  up  the 
hope  of  seeing,  perhaps,  one  day  my  heart  awake  in  love  for  you, 
and  the  wondrous  flower  of  a  tenderness  after  marriage  unfold  itself, 
the  gradual  budding  of  which  had  been  denied  to  us  by  the  arbitrary 
action  of  our  parents,  who  had  not  consulted  our  wishes,  but  only 
our  fortunes.  I  became  your  wife  with  the  full  conviction  that  I 
should  have  to  lead  a  life  cold,  dreary,  and  devoid  of  love,  and  that 
I  could  not  be  for  you  but  an  everlasting  burden,  a  chain,  an  obsta- 
cle. My  pride,  that  was  revolting  against  it,  told  me  that  I  should 
be  able  to  bear  this  life  in  a  dignified  manner,  but  that  I  never 
ought  to  make  even  an  attempt  to  break  through  this  barrier  which 
your  love  for  another  had  erected  between  us,  and  which  you  tried 
to  raise  as  high  as  possible. " 

"  1 1"  exclaimed  the  baron,  sadly. 

"  Yes,  you, "  she  said,  gravely.  "  Or  did  you  believe,  perhaps,  I 
did  not  comprehend  your  rigorous  reserve  toward  me?  I  did  not 
understand  that  you  were  wrapping  around  your  aversion  to  me  but 
a  delicate  veil?  You  conducted  me  to  this  room  and  told  me  that 


FANNY  VON  ARNSTEIN.  291 

you  never  would  enter  it,  and  that  you  would  only  come  here  when 
specially  invited  by  myself  to  do  so.  Well,  sir,  you  managed  very 
skilfully  to  conceal  your  intention  never  to  be  alone  with  me,  and 
to  lead  an  entirely  separate  life  from  me  under  this  phrase,  for  you 
knew  very  well  that  my  pride  never  would  permit  me  to  invite  you 
here  against  your  will. " 

"  Oh,  is  it  possible  that  I  should  have  been  misunderstood  in  this 
manner?"  sighed  the  baron,  but  in  so  low  a  voice  that  Fanny  did 
not  hear  him. 

"  You  further  told  me, "  she  continued,  eagerly,  "  that  I  should 
only  bear  the  name  of  your  wife  before  the  world,  but  not  in  this 
room  where  I  was  always  to  be  Fanny  Itzig.  You  were  kind  enough 
to  give  to  this  moral  divorce,  which  you  pronounced  in  this  manner, 
the  semblance  as  though  you  were  the  losing  party,  and  as  though 
you  were  only  actuated  by  motives  of  delicacy  toward  me.  I  under- 
stood it  all,  however,  and  when  you  left  this  room  after  that  con- 
versation, sir,  I  sank  down  on  my  knees  and  implored  God  that  He 
might  remain  with  me  in  this  loneliness  to  which  you  had  doomed 
me,  and  I  implored  my  pride  to  sustain  and  support  me,  and  I  swore 
to  my  maidenly  honor  that  I  would  preserve  it  unsullied  and  sacred 
to  my  end. " 

"  Oh,  good  Heaven  !"  groaned  the  baron,  tottering  backward  like 
a  man  suddenly  seized  with  vertigo. 

Fanny,  in  her  own  glowing  excitement,  did  not  notice  it. 

"  And  thus  I  commenced  my  new  life, "  she  said,  "  a  life  of  splen- 
dor and  magnificence  ;  it  was  glittering  without,  but  dreary  within, 
and  in  the  midst  of  our  most  brilliant  circles  I  constantly  felt 
lonely ;  surrounded  by  hundreds  who  called  themselves  friends  of 
our  house,  I  was  always  alone — I,  the  wife  of  your  reception-room, 
the  disowned  of  my  boudoir  !  Oh,  it  is  true  I  have  obtained  many 
triumphs ;  I  have  seen  this  haughty  world,  that  only  received  me 
hesitatingly,  at  last  bow  to  me ;  the  Jewess  has  become  the  centre 
of  society,  and  no  one  on  entering  our  house  believes  any  longer 
that  he  is  conferring  a  favor  upon  us,  but,  on  the  contrary,  receiv- 
ing one  from  us.  It  is  the  ton  now  to  visit  our  house  ;  we  are  being 
overwhelmed  with  invitations,  with  flattering  attentions.  But  tell 
me,  sir,  is  all  this  a  compensation  for  the  happiness  which  we  are 
lacking  and  which  we  never  will  obtain?  Oh,  is  it  not  sad  to  think 
that  both  of  us,  so  young,  so  capable  of  enjoying  happiness,  should 
already  be  doomed  to  eternal  resignation  and  eternal  loneliness?  Is 
it  not  horrible  to  see  us,  and  ought  not  God  Himself  to  pity  us,  if 
from  the  splendor  of  His  starry  heavens  He  should  look  down  for  a 
moment  into  our  gloomy  breasts?  I  bear  in  it  a  cold,  frozen  heart, 
and  you  a  coffin.  Oh,  sir,  do  not  laugh  at  me  because  you  see  tears 


292  LOUISA  OF   PRUSSIA. 

in  my  eyes — it  is  only  Fanny  Itzig  who  is  weeping ;  Baroness  von 
Arnstein  will  receive  your  guests  to-night  in  your  saloons  with  a 
Smiling  face,  and  no  one  will  believe  that  her  eyes  also  know  how 
to  weep.  But  here,  here  in  my  widow-room,  here  in  my  nun's  cell, 
I  may  be  permitted  to  weep  over  you  and  me,  who  have  been  chained 
together  with  infrangible  fetters,  of  which  both  of  us  feel  the  burden 
and  oppression  with  equal  bitterness  and  wrath.  May  God  forgive 
our  parents  for  having  sacrificed  our  hearts  on  the  altar  of  their 
God,  who  is  Mammon ;  1  shall  ever  hate  them  for  it ;  I  shall  never 
forgive  them,  for  they  who  knew  life  must  have  known  that  there 
is  nothing  more  unhappy,  more  miserable,  and  more  deplorable 
than  a  wife  who  does  not  love  her  husband,  is  not  beloved  by 
him." 

"Is  not  beloved  by  him!"  repeated  the  baron,  approaching  his 
wife  who,  like  a  broken  reed,  had  sunk  down  on  a  chair,  and  seiz- 
ing her  hand,  he  said :  "  You  say  that  I  do  not  love  you,  Fanny  1 
Do  you  know  my  heart,  then?  Have  you  deemed  it  worth  while 
only  a  single  time  to  fix  your  proud  eyes  on  my  poor  heart?  Did 
you  ever  show  me  a  symptom  of  sympathy  when  I  was  sick,  a  trace 
of  compassion  when  you  saw  me  suffering?  But  no,  you  did  not 
even  see  that  I  was  suffering,  or  that  I  was  sad.  Your  proud,  cold 
glance  always  glided  past  me ;  it  saw  me  rarely,  it  never  sought 
me !  What  can  you  know,  then,  about  my  heart,  and  what  would 
you  care  if  I  should  tell  you  now  that  there  is  no  longer  a  coffin  in 
it,  that  it  has  awoke  to  a  new  life,  and — " 

"Baron!"  exclaimed  Fanny,  rising  quickly  and  proudly,  "will 
you,  perhaps,  carry  your  magnanimity  and  delicacy  so  far  as  to 
make  me  a  declaration  of  love?  Did  I  express  myself  in  my  impru- 
dent impetuosity  so  incorrectly  as  to  make  you  believe  I  was  anxious 
even  now  to  gain  your  love,  and  that  I  was  complaining  of  not 
having  obtained  it?  Do  you  believe  me  to  be  an  humble  mendicant, 
to  whom  in  your  generosity  you  want  to  throw  the  morsel  of  a  dec- 
laration of  love?  I  thank  you,  sir,  I  am  not  hungry,  and  do  not 
want  this  morsel.  Let  us  at  least  be  truthful  and  sincere  toward 
each  other,  and  the  truth  is,  we  do  not  love  each  other  and  shall 
never  do  so.  Let  us  never  try  to  feign  what  we  never  shall  feel. 
And  if  you  now  should  offer  me  your  love  I  should  have  to  reject 
it,  for  I  am  accustomed  to  a  freezing  temperature ;  and  I  should 
fare  like  the  natives  of  Siberia,  I  should  die  if  I  were  to  live  in  a 
warmer  zone.  Both  of  us  are  living  in  Siberia ;  well,  then,  as  we 
cannot  expect  roses  to  bloom  for  us,  let  us  try  at  least  to  catch  sables 
for  ourselves.  The  sable,  moreover,  is  an  animal  highly  valued  by 
the  whole  world.  People  will  envy  our  sable  furs,  for  they  know 
them  to  be  costly ;  they  would  laugh  at  us  if  we  should  adorn  our 


FANNY  VON  ARNSTEIN.  293 

heads  with  roses,  for  roses  are  not  costly  by  any  means,  they  are 
common,  and  every  peasant-girl  may  adorn  herself  with  them." 

"  You  are  joking, "  said  the  baron,  mournfully,  "  and  yet  there 
are  tears  glistening  in  your  eyes.  However,  your  will  shall  be 
sacred  to  me.  I  shall  never  dare  to  speak  to  you  again  about  my 
neart.  But  let  us  speak  about  you  and  your  future.  The  five  years 
of  our  agreement  have  elapsed,  and  I  am  here  to  confer  with  you 
about  your  future.  Tell  me  frankly  and  honestly,  Fanny,  do  you 
wish  to  be  divorced  from  me?" 

She  started  and  fixed  a  long  and  searching  look  on  her  husband. 

"  Your  father  died  a  year  ago, "  she  said,  musingly,  "  you  are  now 
the  chief  of  the  firm ;  no  one  has  a  right  to  command  any  longer 
what  you  are  to  do,  and  being  free  now,  you  may  offer  your  hand 
to  her  whom  you  love,  I  suppose  ?" 

The  baron  uttered  a  shriek,  and  a  death-like  pallor  overspread  his 
face.  "Have  I  deserved  to  be  thus  deeply  despised  by  you?"  he 
ejaculated. 

Fanny  quickly  gave  him  her  hand.  "  Pardon  me, "  she  said,  cor- 
dially. "I  have  pained  you  quite  unintentionally  ;  the  grief  of  this 
hour  has  rendered  me  cruel.  No,  I  do  not  Jbelieve  that  you,  merely 
for  your  own  sake,  addressed  this  question  to  me ;  I  know,  on  the 
contrary,  that  yeu  entertain  for  me  the  sympathy  of  a  brother,  of  a 
friend,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  your  question  had  my  happiness  in 
view  as  well  as  yours. " 

"Well,"  he  said,  with  the  semblance  of  perfect  calmness,  "let 
me  repeat  my  question,  then :  do  you  want  to  be  divorced  from 
me?" 

Fanny  slowly  shook  her  head.  "Why?"  she  asked,  sadly.  "I 
repeat  to  you  what  I  told  you  once  already  ;  we  are  living  in  Siberia 
— let  us  remain  there.  We  are  adCwstomed  to  a  freezing  tempera- 
ture ;  we  might  die,  perhaps,  in  a  warmer  zone." 

"  Or  your  heart  might  exult,  perhaps,  with  happiness  and  delight, " 
said  the  baron,  and  now  his  eyes  were  fixed  inquiringly  upon  her 
face.  "You  called  me  just  now  your  friend,  you  admitted  that  I 
felt  for  you  the  sympathy  of  a  brother  ;  well,  then,  let  me  speak  to 
you  as  your  brother  and  friend.  Do  not  reject  the  offer  of  a  divorce 
so  quickly,  Fanny,  for  I  tell  you  now  I  shall  never  renew  it,  and  if 
you  do  not  give  me  up  to-day,  you  are  chained  to  me  forever,  for  I 
shall  never  be  capable  again  of  a  courage  so  cruel  against  myself. 
Consider  the  offer  well,  therefore.  Think  of  your  youth,  your 
beauty,  and  your  inward  loneliness.  Remember  that  your  heart  is 
yearning  for  love  and  pining  away  in  its  dreary  solitude.  And  now 
look  around,  Fanny ;  see  how  many  of  the  most  distinguished  and 
eminent  cavaliers  are  surrounding  you,  and  longing  for  a  glance,  for 


294  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

a  smile  from  you.  See  by  how  many  you  are  being  loved  and 
adored,  and  then  ask  yourself  whether  or  not  among  all  these  cava- 
liers no  one  would  be  able  to  conquer  your  heart  if  it  were  free? 
For  I  know  your  chaste  virtue  ;  I  know  that,  although  chained  to  an 
unbeloved  husband,  you  never  would  prove  faithless  to  him  and 
avow  love  to  another  so  long  as  you  were  not  free.  Imagine,  then, 
you  were  free,  and  then  ask  your  heart  if  it  will  not  decide  for  one 
of  your  many  adorers. " 

"  No,  no, "  she  said,  deprecatingly,  "  I  cannot  imagine  a  state  of 
affairs  that  does  not  exist ;  as  I  am  not  free,  I  must  not  entertain 
the  thoughts  of  a  free  woman. " 

Her  husband  approached  her,  and  seizing  her  hand,  looked  at 
her  in  a  most  touching  and  imploring  manner. 

"  Then  you  have  forgotten  that  five  years  ago,  on  our  wedding- 
day,  you  promised  me  always  to  trust  me?"  he  asked.  "You  have 
forgotten  that  you  took  an  oath  that  you  would  tell  me  so  soon  as 
your  heart  had  declared  for  another  man?" 

Fanny  could  not  bear  his  look,  and  lowered  her  eyes. 

"It  has  not  declared  for  another  man,  and,  therefore,  I  have 
nothing  to  confide  to  you, "  she  said,  in  a  low  voice. 

The  baron  constantly  held  her  hand  in  his  own,  and  his  eyes 
were  still  fixed  on  her  face. 

"  Let  us  consider  the  matter  together, "  he  said.  "  Permit  me  to 
review  your  cavaliers  and  admirers,  and  to  examine  with  you  if 
there  is  not  one  among  them  whom  you  may  deem  worthy  of  your 
love. " 

"What!"  ejaculated  Fanny,  having  recourse  to  an  outburst  of 
merriment  in  order  to  conceal  her  embarrassment,  "  you  want  to 
make  me  a  Portia,  and  perform  with  me  a  scene  from  the  '  Merchant  of 
Venice?'" 

"Yes,  you  are  Portia,  and  I  will  play  the  role  of  your  confidant," 
said  Baron  Arnstein,  smiling.  "Well,  let  us  begin  our  review. 
First,  there  is  Count  Palfy,  a  member  of  the  old  nobility,  of  the 
most  faultless  manners,  young,  rich,  full  of  ardent  love  for — " 

"  For  your  dinner-parties  and  the  rare  dishes  that  do  not  cost 
him  any  thing, "  interrupted  Fanny.  "  He  is  an  epicure,  who  prefers 
dining  at  other  people's  tables  because  he  is  too  stingy  to  pay  for  the 
Indian  birds' -nests  which  he  relishes  greatly.  As  for  myself,  he 
never  admires  me  until  after  dinner,  for  so  soon  as  his  stomach  is 
at  rest  his  heart  awakes  and  craves  for  food ;  and  his  heart  is  a 
gourmand,  too — it  believes  love  to  be  a  dish  ;  vottd  tout ! " 

"Next,  there  is  the  handsome  Marchese  Pallafredo, "  said  her 
husband,  smiling. 

"  He  loves  me  because  he  has  been  told  that  I  speak  excellent  and 


FANNY  VON  ARNSTEIN.  295 

pure  German,  and  because  he  wants  me  to  teach  him  how  to  speak 
German.  He  takes  me  for  a  grammar,  by  means  of  which  he  may 
become  familiar  with  our  language  without  any  special  effort. " 

"  Then  there  is  Count  Esterhazy,  one  of  our  most  brilliant  cava- 
liers ;  you  must  not  accuse  him  of  stinginess,  for  he  is  just  the  re- 
verse, a  spendthrift,  squandering  his  money  with  full  hands  ;  nor 
must  you  charge  him  with  being  an  epicure,  for  he  scarcely  eats 
any  thing  at  all  at  our  dinner-parties,  and  does  not  know  what  he 
is  eating,  his  eyes  being  constantly  riveted  on  you,  and  his  thoughts 
being  occupied  exclusively  with  you. " 

"It  is  true,  he  admires  me,"  said  Fanny,  calmly,  "but  only  a 
few  months  ago  he  was  as  ardent  an  adorer  of  my  sister  Eskeles, 
and  before  he  was  enamoured  of  her,  he  was  enthusiastically  in  love 
with  Countess  Victoria  Colloredo.  He  loves  every  woman  who  is 
fashionable  in  society  for  the  time  being,  and  his  heart  changes  as 
rapidly  >as  the  fashions. " 

"  Besides,  there  is  the  prebendary,  Baron  Weichs, "  said  her  hue- 
band  ;  "  a  gentleman  of  great  ability,  a  savant,  and  withal  a  cava- 
lier, a—" 

"Oh,  pray  do  not  speak  of  him  !"  exclaimed  Fanny,  with  an  air 
of  horror.  "His  love  is  revolting  to  me,  and  fills  me  with  shame 
and  dismay.  Whenever  he  approaches  me  my  heart  shrinks  back 
as  if  from  a  venomous  serpent,  and  a  feeling  of  disgust  pervades  my 
whole  being,  although  I  am  unable  to  account  for  it.  There  is 
something  in  his  glances  that  is  offensive  to  me  ;  and  although  he 
has  never  dared  to  address  me  otherwise  than  in  the  most  respectful 
and  reserved  manner,  his  conversation  always  makes  me  feel  as 
though  I  were  standing  under  a  thunder-cloud  from  which  the 
lightning  might  burst  forth  at  any  moment  to  shatter  me.  As  you 
say,  he  is  a  man  of  ability,  but  he  is  a  bad  man  ;  he  is  passionately 
fond  of  the  ladies,  but  he  does  not  respect  them. " 

"  And  he  does  not  even  deserve  mentioning  here, "  said  the  baron, 
smiling,  "for,  even  though  you  were  free  already,  the  prebendary 
never  could  enjoy  the  happiness  of  becoming  your  husband,  and  I 
know  that  your  heart  is  too  chaste  to  love  a  man  who  is  unable  to 
offer  you  his  hand.  Let  us,  then,  look  for  such  a  man  among  the 
other  cavaliers.  There  is,  for  instance,  Prince  Charles,  of  Lichten- 
stein,  the  most  amiable,  genial,  and  handsome  of  your  admirers  ;  a 
young  prince  who  is  neither  haughty  nor  proud,  neither  prodigal 
nor  stingy  ;  who  neither  makes  love  to  all  ladies  so  soon  as  they  be- 
come fashionable  as  does  Count  Esterhazy,  nor  wants  to  learn  Ger- 
man from  you,  as  does  the  Marchese  Pallafredo ;  a  young  man  as 
beautiful  as  Apollo,  as  brave  as  Mars,  modest  notwithstanding  his 
learning,  and  affable  and  courteous  notwithstanding  his  high  birth. 


296  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Well,  Fanny,  you  do  not  interrupt  me?  Your  sharp  tongue,  that 
was  able  to  condemn  all  the  others,  has  no  such  sentence  for  the 
Prince  von  Lichtenstein.  You  suffer  me  to  praise  him.  Then  you 
assent  to  my  words  ?" 

"I  can  neither  contradict  you  nor  assent  to  your  words,"  said 
Fanny,  with  a  forced  smile  ;  "  I  do  not  know  the  prince  sufficiently 
to  judge  him.  He  has  been  at  Vienna  but  a  very  few  months — " 

"  But  he  has  been  a  daily  visitor  in  our  house  during  that  period, " 
said  her  husband,  interrupting  her,  "and  he  is  constantly  seen  at 
your  side.  All  Vienna  knows  that  the  prince  is  deeply  enamoured 
of  you,  and  he  does  not  conceal  it  by  any  means,  not  even  from 
myself.  A  few  days  ago,  when  he  was  so  unfortunate  as  not  to  find 
you  at  home,  because  you  were  presiding  over  a  meeting  of  your 
benevolent  society,  he  met  me  all  alone  in  the  reception-room. 
Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  a  desultory  conversation,  he  paused,  em- 
braced me  passionately,  and  exclaimed  :  'Be  not  so  kind,  so  courte- 
ous, and  gentle  toward  me,  for  I  hate  you,  I  detest  you — because  I 
hate  every  thing  keeping  me  back  from  her ;  I  detest  every  thing 
that  prevents  me  from  joining  her !  Forgive  my  love  for  her  and 
my  hatred  toward  you  ;  I  feel  both  in  spite  of  myself.  If  you  were 
not  her  husband,  I  should  love  you  like  a  friend,  but  that  accursed 
word  renders  you  a  mortal  enemy  of  mine.  And  still  I  bow  to  you 
in  humility — still  I  implore  you  to  be  generous  ;  do  not  banish  me 
from  your  house,  from  her,  for  I  should  die  if  I  were  not  allowed  to 
see  her  every  day  !'" 

Fanny  had  listened  to  him  with  blushing  cheeks  and  in  breath- 
less suspense.  Her  whole  soul  was  speaking  from  the  looks  which 
she  fixed  on  her  husband,  and  with  which  she  seemed  to  drink  every 
word,  like  sweet  nectar,  from  his  lips. 

"And  what  did  you  reply  to  him?"  she  asked,  in  a  dry  and  husky 
voice,  when  the  baron  was  silent. 

"  I  replied  to  him  that  you  alone  had  to  decide  who  should  appear 
at  our  parties,  and  that  every  one  whom  you  had  invited  would  be 
welcome  to  me.  I  further  told  him  that  his  admiration  for  you  did 
not  astonish  me  at  all,  and  that  I  would  readily  forgive  his  hatred, 
for—" 

The  baron  paused  all  at  once  and  looked  at  his  wife  with  a  sur- 
prised and  inquiring  glance.  She  had  started  in  sudden  terror ;  a  deep 
blush  was  burning  on  her  cheeks,  and  her  eyes,  which  had  assumed 
a  rapturous  and  enthusiastic  expression,  turned  toward  the  door. 

The  baron's  eyes  followed  her  glance,  and  he  heard  now  a  slight 
noise  at  the  door. 

"I  believe  somebody  has  knocked  at  the  door,"  he  said,  fixing 
his  piercing  eyes  on  his  wife. 


THE  RIVALS.  297 

She  raised  her  head  and  whispered,  "  Yes,  I  believe  so. " 

"And  it  is  the  second  time  already,"  said  the  baron,  calmly. 
"Will  you  not  permit  the  stranger  to  walk  in?" 

"  I  do  not  know, "  she  said,  in  great  embarrassment,  "  I — " 

Suddenly  the  door  opened,  and  a  young  man  appeared  on  the 
threshold. 

"  Ah,  the  Prince  von  Lichtenstein, "  said  the  baron,  and  he  went 
with  perfect  calmness  and  politeness  to  meet  the  prince  who,  evi- 
dently in  great  surprise,  remained  standing  in  the  door,  and  was 
staring  gloomily  at  the  strange  and  unexpected  group. 

"  Come  in,  my  dear  sir, "  said  the  baron,  quietly ;  "  the  baroness 
will  be  very  grateful  to  you  for  coming  here  just  at  this  moment 
and  interrupting  our  conversation,  for  it  referred  to  dry  business 
matters.  I  laid  a  few  old  accounts,  that  had  been  running  for  five 
years,  before  the  baroness,  and  she  gave  me  a  receipt  for  them,  that 
was  all.  Our  interview,  moreover,  was  at  an  end,  and  you  need 
not  fear  to  have  disturbed  us.  Permit  me,  therefore,  to  withdraw, 
for  you  know  very  well  that,  in  the  forenoon,  I  am  nothing  but  a 
banker,  a  business  man,  and  have  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  our 
firm." 

He  bowed  simultaneously  to  the  prince  and  to  his  wife,  and  left 
the  room,  as  smiling,  calm,  and  unconcerned  as  ever.  Only  when  the 
door  had  closed  behind  him,  when  he  had  satisfied  himself  by  a 
rapid  glance  through  the  reception-room  that  nobody  was  there,  the 
smile  disappeared  from  his  lips,  and  his  features  assumed  an  air  of 
profound  melancholy.  • 

"She  loves  him,"  he  muttered  ;  "yes,  she  loves  him  !  Her  hand 
trembled  in  mine  when  I  pronounced  his  name,  and  oh  !  how  radi- 
ant she  looked  when  she  heard  him  come  !  Yes,  she  loves  him,  and 
I? — I  will  go  to  my  counting-house  !"  he  said,  with  a  smile  that  was 
to  veil  the  tears  in  his  eyes. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE  ETVALS. 

THE  baron  had  no  sooner  closed  the  door  of  the  boudoir  when  the 
young  Prince  von  Lichtenstein  hastened  to  Fanny,  and,  impetuously 
seizing  her  hand,  looked  at  her  with  a  passionate  and  angry  air. 

"You  did  that  for  the  purpose  of  giving  me  pain,  I  suppose?"  he 
asked,  with  quivering  lips.  "You  wished  to  prove  to  me  that  you 
did  not  confer  any  special  favor  upon  me.  Yesterday  you  were 
kind  enough  to  assure  me  that  no  man  ever  had  set  foot  into  this 


298  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

room,  and  that  I  should  be  the  first  to  whom  it  would  be  opened  to- 
day ;  and  I  was  such  a  conceited  fool  as  to  believe  your  beatifying 
words,  and  I  rush  hither  as  early  as  is  permitted  by  decency  and 
respect,  and  yet  I  do  not  find  you  alone. " 

"  It  was  my  husband  who  was  here, "  said  Fanny,  almost  depre- 
catingly. 

"  It  was  a  man, "  he  ejaculated,  impetuously,  "  and  you  had  given 
me  the  solemn  assurance  that  this  door  had  never  yet  opened  to  any 
man.  Oh,  I  had  implored  you  on  my  knees,  and  with  tearful  eyes, 
to  allow  me  to  see  you  here  to-day ;  it  seemed  to  me  as  though  the 
gates  of  paradise  were  to  be  at  last  opened  to  me ;  no  sleep  came 
into  my  eyes  all  night,  the  consciousness  of  my  approaching  bliss 
kept  me  awake ;  it  was  over  me  like  a  smiling  cherub,  and  I  was 
dreaming  with  open  eyes.  And  now  that  the  lazy,  snail-like  time 
has  elapsed,  now  that  I  have  arrived  here,  I  find  in  my  heaven,  at 
the  side  of  my  cherub,  a  calculating  machine,  desecrating  my  para- 
dise by  vile  accounts — " 

"  Pray  do  not  go  on  in  this  manner, "  interrupted  Fanny,  sternly. 
"You  found  my  husband  here,  and  that,  of  course,  dissolves  the 
whole  poetry  of  your  words  into  plain  prose,  for  she,  whom  in  your 
enthusiastic  strain  you  styled  your  cherub,  is  simply  the  wife  of 
this  noble  and  excellent  man,  whom  you  were  free  to  compare  with 
a  calculating  machine. " 

"You  are  angry  with  me !"  exclaimed  the  young  prince,  discon- 
solately. "You  make  no  allowance  for  my  grief,  my  disappoint- 
ment, yea,  my  contusion !  You  have  punished  me  so  rudely  for  my 
presumption,  and  will  not  even  permit  my  heart  to  bridle  up  and 
give  utterance  to  its  wrath. " 

"  I  did  not  know  that  you  were  presumptuous  toward  me,  and 
could  not  think,  therefore,  of  inflicting  punishment  on  you, "  said 
Fanny ;  "  but  I  know  that  you  have  no  right  to  insult  the  man  whose 
name  I  bear. " 

"  You  want  to  drive  me  to  despair,  then !"  retorted  the  prince, 
wildly  stamping  on  the  floor.  "  It  is  not  sufficient,  then,  that  you 
let  me  find  your  husband  here,  you  must  even  praise  him  before  me  1 
I  will  tell  you  why  I  was  presumptuous.  I  was  presumptuous  inas- 
much as  I  believed  it  to  be  a  favor  granted  to  me  exclusively  to 
enter  this  room,  and  you  have  punished  me  for  this  presumption  by 
proving  to  me  that  this  door  opens  to  others,  too,  although  you 
assured  me  yesterday  that  the  contrary  was  the  case. " 

"  Then  you  question  my  word  ?"  asked  Fanny. 

"Oh,"  he  said,  impetuously,  "you  do  not  question  what  you  see 
with  your  own  eyes. " 

"And,  inasmuch  as  you  have  satisfied  yourself  of  my  duplicity 


THE  RIVALS.  399 

with  your  own  eyes,  as  you  have  seen  that  every  one  is  at  liberty  to 
enter  this  room,  and  as  you  consequently  cannot  take  any  interest 
in  prolonging  your  stay  here,  I  would  advise  you  to  leave  imme- 
diately, "  said  Fanny,  gravely. 

"You  show  me  the  door?  You  turn  me  out!"  exclaimed  the 
prince,  despairingly.  "  Oh,  have  mercy  on  me  1  No,  do  not  turn 
away  from  me !  Look  at  me,  read  in  my  face  the  despair  filling  my 
Boul.  What,  you  still  avert  your  head?  I  beseech  you  just  grant 
me  one  glance  ;  only  tell  me  by  the  faintest  smile  that  you  will  for- 
give me,  and  I  will  obey  your  orders,  I  will  go,  even  if  it  should 
be  only  for  the  purpose  of  dying,  not  here  before  your  eyes,  but  out- 
side, on  the  threshold  of  your  door. " 

"Ah,  as  if  it  were  so  easy  to  die!"  ejaculated  Fanny,  turning 
her  face  toward  the  prince. 

"You  look  at  me — you  have  forgiven  me,  then!"  exclaimed  the 
young  man,  and  impetuously  kneeling  down  before  her,  he  seized 
her  hands  and  pressed  them  to  his  lips. 

"  Rise,  sir,  pray  rise, "  said  the  baroness ;  "  consider  that  some- 
body might  come  in.  You  know  now  that  everybody  is  permitted 
to  enter  this  room. " 

"No,  no,  I  know  that  nobody  is  permitted  to  enter  here  !"  he  ex- 
claimed, fervently ;  "  I  know  that  this  room  is  a  sanctuary  which 
no  uninitiated  person  ever  entered  ;  I  know  that  this  is  the  sacred 
cell  in  which  your  virgin  heart  exhaled  its  prayers  and  complaints, 
and  which  is  only  known  to  God  ;  I  know  that  no  man's  foot  ever 
crossed  this  threshold,  and  I  remain  on  my  knees  as  if  before  a 
saint,  to  whom  I  confess  my  sins,  and  whom  I  implore  to  grant  me 
absolution.  Will  you  forgive  me?" 

"I  will,"  she  said,  smilingly,  bending  over  him ;  "I  will,  if  it 
were  only  to  induce  you  to  rise  from  your  knees.  And  as  you  now 
perceive  and  regret  your  mistake,  I  will  tell  'you  the  truth.  It  was 
an  accident  that  the  baron  entered  this  room  to-day,  and  it  was  the 
first  time,  too,  since  we  were  married.  Nor  did  he  come  here,  as 
he  said,  in  delicate  self-derision,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  accounts 
with  me,  but  in  order  to  fulfil  a  promise  which  he  gave  me  five  years 
ago,  and  which,  I  confess  to  my  shame,  I  had  forgotten,  so  that, 
instead  of  expecting  my  husband,  I  permitted  you  to  come  to  me. " 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  kind  words,  which  heal  all  the  wounds  of 
my  heart  like  a  soothing  balm, "  replied  the  prince.  "  Oh,  now  I 
feel  well  again,  and  strong  enough  to  conquer  you  in  spite  of  the 
resistance  of  the  whole  world. " 

"And  do  you  know,  then,  whether  you  will  be  able  to  conquer 
me  in  spite  of  my  resistance?"  asked  Fanny,  smiling. 

"  Yes  1"   he  exclaimed,   "  I  know  it,  for  in  true  love  there  is  a 


300  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

strength  that  will  subdue  and  surmount  all  obstacles.  And  I  love 
you  truly ;  you  know  it,  you  are  satisfied  of  it.  You  know  that  I 
love  you ;  every  breath,  every  look,  every  tremulous  note  of  my 
voice  tells  you  so.  But  you?  do  you  love  me?  Oh,  I  implore  you, 
at  length  have  mercy  on  me.  Speak  one  word  of  pity,  of  sympathy  ! 
Let  me  read  it  at  least  in  your  eyes,  if  your  lips  are  too  austere  to 
utter  it.  I  have  come  to-day  with  the  firm  determination  to  receive 
at  your  hands  my  bliss  or  my  doom.  The  torment  "of  this  incerti- 
tude kills  me.  Fanny,  tell  me,  do  you  love  me?" 

Fanny  did  not  answer  at  once ;  she  stood  before  him,  her  head 
lowered,  a  prey  to  conflicting  emotions,  but  she  felt  the  ardent  looks 
which  were  resting  on  her,  and  her  heart  trembled  with  secret  de- 
light. She  made  an  effort,  however,  to  overcome  her  feelings,  and, 
raising  her  head,  she  fixed  her  eyes  with  a  gentle  yet  mournful  ex- 
pression upon  the  young  man,  who,  breathless  and  pale  with  anxiety, 
was  waiting  for  her  reply. 

"  You  ask  me  if  I  love  you, "  she  said,  in  a  low  but  firm  voice ; 
"  you  put  that  question  to  me,  and  yet  you  are  standing  now  on  the 
same  spot  on  which  my  husband  stood  fifteen  minutes  ago  and'also 
asked  me  a  question.  I  must  not  answer  your  question,  for  I  am 
a  married  woman,  and  I  have  taken  an  oath  at  the  altar  to  keep  my 
faith  to  my  husband,  and  I  have  to  keep  it,  inasmuch  as  my  heart 
has  no  love  to  give  him.  But  I  will,  nevertheless,  give  you  a  proof 
of  the  great  confidence  I  am  reposing  in  you.  I  will  tell  you  why 
my  husband  came  to  see  me  to-day,  and  what  was  the  question 
which  he  addressed  to  me.  Hush,  do  not  interrupt  me  ;  do  not  tell 
me  that  my  conversations  with  the  baron  have  no  interest  for  you. 
Listen  to  me.  The  baron  came  to  me  because  the  five  years,  which 
we  had  ourselves  fixed  for  that  purpose,  had  elapsed  to-day,  and 
because  he  wanted  to  ask  me  whether  I  wished  to  remain  his  wife, 
or  whether  I  wanted  to  be  divorced  from  him. " 

"And  what  did  you  reply?"  asked  the  prince,  breathlessly. 

"I  replied  to  him  as  I  replied  to  you  a  little  while  ago  :  'I  have 
taken  an  oath  at  the  altar  to  keep  my  faith  to  my  husband,  and  I 
have  to  keep  it,  inasmuch  as  my  heart  has  no  love  to  give  to  him. '" 

"  Ah,  you  told  him  that  you  did  not  love  him  ?"  asked  the  prince, 
drawing  a  deep  breath.  "  And  after  this  confession  he  felt  that  he 
ought  no  longer  to  oppose  your  divorce,  for  his  heart  is  generous 
and  delicate,  and  consequently  he  cannot  desire  to  chain  a  wife  to 
himself  who  tells  him  that  during  the  five  years  of  her  married  life 
she  has  not  learned  to  love  him.  Oh,  Fanny,  how  indescribably 
happy  you  render  me  by  this  disclosure.  Then  you  will  be  free, 
your  hands  will  not  be  manacled  any  longer. " 

"  I  did  not  tell  you  the  reply  I  made  to  my  husband  when  he  left 


THE  RIVALS.  301 

it  to  me  again  to  say  whether  I  would  be  divorced  from  him  or  not, " 
said  Fanny,  with  a  mournful  smile.  "  I  replied  to  him  that  every 
thing  should  remain  as  heretofore  ;  that  I  did  not  want  to  inflict  the 
disgrace  of  a  divorce  upon  him  and  upon  myself,  and  that  we  would 
and  ought  to  bear  these  shackles  which,  without  mutual  love,  we 
had  imposed  upon  each  other  in  a  dignified,  faithful,  and  honest 
manner  until  our  death. " 

"That  is  impossible!"  exclaimed  the  prince.  "You  could  not, 
you  ought  not  to  have  been  so  cruel  against  yourself,  against  the 
baron,  and  also  against  me.  And  even  though  you  may  have  uttered 
these  words  of  doom  on  the  spur  of  that  exciting  moment,  you  will 
take  them  back  again  after  sober  and  mature  reflection.  Oh,  say 
that  you  will  do  so,  say  that  you  will  be  free ;  free,  so  that  I  may 
kneel  down  before  you  and  implore  you  to  give  to  me  this  hand,  no 
longer  burdened  by  any  fetters  ;  to  become  my  wife,  and  to  permit 
me  to  try  if  my  boundless,  adoring  love  will  succeed  in  conferring 
upon  you  that  happiness  of  which  none  are  worthier  than  you.  Oh, 
speak,  Fanny,  say  that  you  will  be  free,  and  consent  to  become  my 
wife !" 

"  Your  wife !"  said  Fanny,  lugubriously.  "  You  forget  that  what 
separates  me  from  you  is  not  only  my  husband,  but  also  my  religion. 
The  Jewess  can  never  become  the  wife  of  the  Prince  von  Lichten- 
stein." 

"  You  will  cast  off  the  semblance  of  a  religion  which  in  reality  is 
yours  no  longer, "  said  the  prince.  "  You  have  ceased  to  be  a  Jewess, 
owing  to  your  education,  to  your  habits,  and  to  your  views  of  life. 
Leave,  then,  the  halls  of  the  temple  in  which  your  God  is  no  longer 
dwelling,  and  enter  the  great  church  which  has  redeemed  mankind, 
and  which  is  now  to  redeem  you.  Become  a  convert  to  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  which  is  the  religion  of  love." 

"Never!"  exclaimed  the  baroness,  firmly  and  decidedly — "never 
will  I  abandon  my  religion  and  prove  recreant  to  my  faith,  to  which 
my  family  and  my  tribe  have  faithfully  adhered  for  thousands  of 
years.  The  curse  of  my  parents  and  ancestors  would  pursue  the 
renegade  daughter  of  our  tribe  and  cling  like  a  sinister  night-bird 
to  the  roof  of  the  house  into  which  the  faithless  daughter  of  Judah, 
the  baptized  Jewess,  would  move  in  order  to  obtain  that  happiness 
she  is  yearning  for.  Never —  But  what  is  that?"  interrupting  her- 
self all  at  once  ;  "what  is  the  matter  in  the  adjoining  room?" 

Two  voices,  one  of  them  angrily  quarrelling  with  the  other, 
which  replied  in  a  deprecating  manner,  were  heard  in  the  adjoining 
room. 

"  I  tell  you  the  baroness  is  at  home,  and  receives  visitors  1"  ex- 
claimed the  violent  and  threatening  voice. 


302  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  And  I  assure  you  that  the  baroness  is  not  at  home,  and  cannot, 
therefore,  receive  any  visitors, "  replied  the  deprecating  voice. 

"  It  is  Baron  Weichs,  the  proud  prebendary,  who  wants  to  play 
the  master  here  as  he  does  everywhere  else, "  said  the  prince,  dis- 
dainfully. 

"And  my  steward  refuses  to  admit  him,  because  I  have  given 
orders  that  no  more  visitors  shall  be  received  to-day,"  whispered 
Fanny. 

The  face  of  the  young  prince  became  radiant  with  delight.  He 
seized  Fanny's  hands  and  pressed  them  impetuously  to  his  lips, 
whispering,  "  I  thank  you,  Fanny,  I  thank  you  !" 

Meantime  the  voice  in  the  reception-room  became  more  violent 
and  threatening,  "  I  know  that  the  baroness  is  at  home, "  it  shouted, 
"and  I  ask  you  once  more  to  announce  my  visit  to  her  !" 

"  But  you  know,  sir, "  said  the  gentle  voice  of  the  steward,  "  that 
the  baroness,  when  she  is  at  home,  is  always  at  this  hour  in  the 
reception-room,  and  receives  her  visitors  here  without  any  previous 
announcement. " 

"That  only  proves  that  the  baroness  receives  her  visitors  in 
another  room  to-day, "  shouted  the  voice  of  Baron  Weichs.  "  I  know 
positively  that  there  is  a  visitor  with  the  baroness  at  this  very  mo- 
ment. Go,  then,  and  announce  my  visit.  It  remains  for  the 
baroness  to  turn  me  away,  and  I  shall  know  then  that  the  baroness 
prefers  to  remain  alone  with  the  gentleman  who  is  with  her  at  the 
present  time. " 

"  Ah,  this  prebendary,  it  seems,  is  growing  impudent, "  exclaimed 
the  prince,  with  flashing  eyes,  walking  toward  the  door. 

The  baroness  seized  his  hand  and  kept  him  back.  "Pay  no 
attention  to  him, "she  said,  imploringly;  "let  my  steward  settle 
this  quarrel  with  that  insolent  man.  Just  listen  !  he  is  even  now 
begging  him  quite  politely,  yet  decidedly,  to  leave  the  room." 

"  And  that  fellow  is  shameless  enough  to  decline  doing  so, "  said 
the  prince.  "  Oh,  hear  his  scornful  laughter  !  This  laughter  is  an 
insult,  for  which  he  ought  to  be  chastised. " 

And  as  if  the  words  of  the  prince  were  to  be  followed  imme- 
diately by  the  deed,  a  third  voice  was  heard  now  in  the  reception- 
room.  It  asked  in  a  proud  and  angry  tone,  "  What  is  the  matter 
here?  And  who  permits  himself  to  shout  so  indecently  in  the  recep- 
tion-room of  the  baroness?" 

"Ah,  it  is  my  husband,"  whispered  Fanny,  with  an  air  of  great 
relief.  "He  will  show  that  overbearing  Baron  Weichs  the  door, 
and  I  shall  get  rid  of  him  forever. " 

"He  has  already  dared,  then,  to  importune  you?"  asked  the 
prince,  turning  his  threatening  eyes  toward  the  door.  "  Oh,  I  will 


THE  RIVALS.  303 

release  you  from  further  molestation  by  this  madman,  for  I  tell  you 
the  gentle  words  of  your  husband  will  not  be  able  to  do  so.  Baron 
Weichs  is  not  the  man  to  lend  a  willing  ear  to  sensible  remon- 
strances or  to  the  requirements  of  propriety  and  decency.  He  has 
graduated  at  the  high-school  of  libertinism,  and  any  resistance 
whatever  provokes  him  to  a  passionate  struggle  in  which  he  shrinks 
from  no  manifestation  of  his  utter  recklessness.  Well,  am  I  not 
right?  Does  he  not  even  dare  to  defy  your  husband ?  Just  listen!" 

"I  regret  not  to  be  able  to  comply  with  your  request  to  leave  this 
room, "  shouted  now  the  voice  of  the  prebendary,  Baron  Weichs. 
"  You  said  yourself  just  now,  baron,  that  we  were  in  the  reception-  • 
room  of  the  baroness  ;  accordingly,  you  are  not  the  master  here,  but 
merely  a  visitor  like  the  rest  of  us.  Consequently,  you  have  no 
right  to  show  anybody  the  door,  particularly  as  you  do  not  even 
know  whether  you  belong  to  the  privileged  visitors  of  the  lady,  or 
whether  the  baroness  will  admit  you." 

"  I  shall  take  no  notice  of  the  unbecoming  and  insulting  portion 
of  your  remarks,  baron, "  said  the  calm  voice  of  Baron  Arnstein  ;  "  I 
only  intend  at  this  moment  to  protect  my  wife  against  insult  and 
molestation.  Now  it  is  insulting  assuredly  that  a  cavalier,  after 
being  told  that  the  lady  to  whom  he  wishes  to  pay  his  respects  is 
either  not  at  home  or  will  not  receive  any  visitors,  should  refuse 
to  withdraw,  and  insist  upon  being  admitted.  I  hope  the  preben- 
dary, Baron  Weichs,  after  listening  to  this  explanation,  will  be  kind 
enough  to  leave  the  reception-room." 

"  I  regret  that  I  cannot  fulfil  this  hope, "  said  the  sneering  voice  of 
the  prebendary.  "  I  am  now  here  with  the  full  conviction  that  I  shall 
never  be  able  to  reenter  this  reception-room  ;  hence  I  am  determined 
not  to  shrink  back  from  any  thing  and  not  to  be  turned  away  in  so 
disgraceful  a  manner.  I  know  that  the  baroness  is  at  home,  and  I 
came  hither  in  order  to  satisfy  myself  whether  the  common  report 
is  really  true  that  the  baroness,  who  has  always  treated  me  with  so 
much  virtuous  rigor  and  discouraging  coldness,  is  more  indulgent 
and  less  inexorable  toward  another,  and  whether  I  have  really  a 
more  fortunate  rival !" 

"I  hope  that  I  am  this  more  fortunate  rival,"  said  Baron  Arn- 
stein, gently. 

"  Oh,  no,  sir, "  exclaimed  the  prebendary,  laughing  scornfully. 
"A  husband  never  is  the  rival  of  his  wife's  admirers.  If  you  were 
with  your  wife  and  turned  me  away,  I  should  not  object  to  it  at  all, 
and  I  should  wait  for  a  better  chance.  But  what  keeps  me  here  is 
the  fact  that  another  admirer  of  hers  is  with  her,  that  she  has  given 
orders  to  admit  nobody  else,  and  that  you,  more  kind-hearted  than 
myself,  seem  to  believe  that  the  baroness  is  not  at  home. " 


304  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

"This  impudence  surpasses  belief,"  exclaimed  the  prince,  in 
great  exasperation. 

"Yes,"  said  Fanny,  gloomily,  "the  Christian  prebendary  gives 
full  vent  to  his  disdain  for  the  Jewish  banker.  It  always  affords  a 
great  satisfaction  to  Christian  love  to  humble  the  Jew  and  to  trample 
him  in  the  dust.  And  the  Jew  is  accustomed  to  being  trampled 
upon  in  this  manner.  My  husband,  too,  gives  proof  of  this  enviable 
quality  of  our  tribe.  Just  listen  how  calm  and  humble  his  voice 
remains,  all  the  while  every  tone  of  the  other  is  highly  insulting  to 
him !" 

"  He  shall  not  insult  him  any  longer, "  said  the  prince,  ardently ; 
"I  will — but  what  is  that?  Did  he  not  mention  my  name?" 

And  he  went  closer  to  the  door,  in  order  to  listen  in  breathless 
suspense. 

"  And  I  repeat  to  you,  baron, "  said  the  voice  of  the  prebendary, 
sneeringly,  "  your  wife  is  at  home,  and  the  young  Prince  von  Lich- 
tenstein  is  with  her.  I  saw  him  leave  his  palace  and  followed  him  ; 
half  an  hour  ago,  I  saw  him  enter  your  house,  and  I  went  into  the 
coffee-house  opposite  for  the  purpose  of  making  my  observations. 
I  know,  therefore,  positively,  that  the  prince  has  not  yet  left  your 
house.  As  he  is  not  with  you,  he  is  with  your  wife,  and  this  being 
the  usual  hour  for  the  baroness  to  receive  morning  calls,  I  have  just 
as  good  a  right  as  anybody  else  to  expect  that  she  will  admit  me. " 

"And  suppose  I  tell  you  that  she  will  not  admit  you  to-day?" 

"  Then  I  shall  conclude  that  the  baroness  is  in  her  boudoir  with 
the  Prince  von  Lichtenstein,  and  that  she  does  not  want  to  be  dis- 
turbed, "  shouted  the  voice  of  the  prebendary.  "  Yes,  sir ;  in  that 
case  I  shall  equally  lament  my  fate  and  yours,  for  both  of  us  are  de- 
ceived and  deprived  of  sweet  hopes.  Both  of  us  will  have  a  more 
fortunate  rival  in  this  petty  prince — in  this  conceited  young  dandy, 
who  even  now  believes  he  is  a  perfect  Adonis,  and  carries  his  ludi- 
crous presumption  so  far  as  to  believe  that  he  can  outstrip  men  of 
ability  and  merit  by  his  miserable  little  title  and  by  his  boyish 
face—" 

"Why  is  it  necessary  for  you  to  shout  all  this  so  loudly?"  asked 
the  anxious  voice  of  the  baron. 

"All,  then  you  believe  that  he  can  hear  me?"  asked  the  voice  of 
the  prebendary,  triumphantly.  "Then  he  is  quite  close  to  us? 
Well,  I  will  shout  it  louder  than  before  :  this  little  Prince  Charles 
von  Lichtenstein  is  a  conceited  boy,  who  deserves  to  be  chastised  !" 

The  prince  rushed  toward  the  door,  pale,  with  quivering  lips  and 
sparkling  eyes.  But  the  baroness  encircled  his  arm  with  her  hands 
and  kept  him  back. 

"You  will  not  go,"  she  whispered.     "You  will  not  disgrace  me 


THE  RIVALS.  305 

so  as  to  prove  to  him  by  your  appearance  that  he  was  'right,  and 
that  you  were  with  me  while  I  refused  to  admit  him." 

"But  do  you  not  hear  that  he  insults  me?"  asked  the  young 
prince,  trying  to  disengage  himself  from  her  hands. 

"  Why  do  you  listen  to  other  voices  when  you  are  with  me?"  she 
said,  reproachfully.  "What  do  you  care  for  the  opinion  of  that 
man,  whom  I  abhor  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  and  whom  people 
only  tolerate  in  their  saloons  because  they  are  afraid  of  his  anger 
and  his  slanderous  tongue?  Oh,  do  not  listen  to  what  he  says,  my 
friend !  You  are  here  with  me,  and  I  have  yet  to  tell  you  many 
things.  But  you  do  not  heed  my  words  !  Your  eyes  are  constantly 
fixed  on  the  door.  Oh,  sir,  look  at  me,  listen  to  what  1  have  to  say 
to  you.  I  believe  I  still  owe  you  a  reply,  do  I  not?  Well,  I  will 
now  reply  to  the  question  which  you  have  so  often  put  to  me,  and  to 
which  I  have  heretofore  only  answered  by  silence !" 

"  Oh,  not  now,  not  now  !"  muttered  the  prince. 

"  Yes,  I  will  tell  you  now  what  has  been  so  long  burning  in  my 
soul  as  a  sweet  secret,"  whispered  Fanny,  constantly  endeavoring 
to  draw  him  away  from  the  door.  "  You  have  often  asked  me  if  I 
loved  you,  and  my  heart  made  the  reply  which  my  lips  were  afraid 
to  pronounce.  But  now  I  will  confess  it  to  you :  yes,  I  love  you ; 
my  whole  soul  belongs  to  you  !  I  have  secretly  longed  for  the  hour 
when  I  might  at  last  confess  this  to  you,  when  my  heart  would  exult 
in  pronouncing  the  sweet  words,  'I  love  you!'  Good  Heaven  !  you 
hear  it,  and  yet  you  remain  silent — you  avert  your  face?  Do  you 
despise  me  now  because  I,  the  married  woman,  confess  to  you  that 
I  love  you?  Is  your  silence  to  tell  me  that  you  do  not  love  me  any 
longer?" 

He  knelt  down  before  her  and  kissed  her  dress  and  her  hands. 
"I  love  you  boundlessly,"  he  said  with  panting  breath  ;  "you  are  to 
me  the  quintessence  of  all  happiness,  virtue,  and  beauty.  I  shall 
love  you  to  the  last  hour  of  my  life  !" 

"  If  Prince  Charles  von  Lichtenstein  should  be  near, "  shouted  the 
voice  of  the  prebendary,  close  to  the  door,  "  if  he  should  be  able  to 
hear  my  words,  I  want  him  to  hear  that  I  pronounce  him  a  coward, 
a  fool,  and  impostor — a  coward,  because  he  silently  suffers  himself 
to  be  insulted — " 

The  prince,  unable  to  restrain  his  feelings  any  longer,  rushed 
forward  and  impetuously  pushing  back  the  baroness,  who  still  en- 
deavored to  detain  him,  he  violently  opened  the  door. 

"No,"  he  shouted,  in  a  threatening  and  angry  voice.  "No, 
Prince  Charles  von  Lichtenstein  does  not  allow  himself  to  be  insulted 
with  impunity,  and  he  asks  satisfaction  for  every  insult  offered  to 
himl" 


306  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  the  prebendary,  turning  with  a  wild,  trium- 
phant laugh  to  Baron  Arnstein,  "  did  I  not  tell  you  that  the  prince 
was  concealed  in  your  house?" 

"Concealed!"  ejaculated  the  prince,  approaching  his  adversary 
with  eyes  sparkling  with  rage.  "  Repeat  that  word  if  you  dare !" 

"I  shall  do  so,"  said  the  prebendary,  with  defiant  coolness. 
"  You  were  concealed  in  this  house,  for  nobody  knew  of  your  pres- 
ence, neither  the  steward  nor  the  baron.  You  had  crept  into  the 
house  like  a  thief  intending  to  steal  valuables,  and  this,  indeed,  was 
your  intention,  too  ;  however,  you  did  not  want  to  purloin  the  dia- 
monds of  the  fair  baroness,  but — " 

"  I  forbid  you  to  mention  the  name  of  the  baroness !"  exclaimed 
the  prince,  proudly. 

"  And  I  implore  you  not  to  compromise  the  baroness  by  connect- 
ing her  with  your  quarrel,"  whispered  Baron  Arnstein  in  the 
prince's  ear ;  then  turning  to  the  prebendary,  whose  eyes  were  fixed 
on  the  prince  with  a  threatening  and  defiant  expression,  he  said  ; 

"  You  are  mistaken,  sir ;  -Prince  Charles  von  Lichtenstein  did  not 
come  here  in  a  stealthy  manner.  He  wished  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
baroness,  and  the  latter,  as  you  know,  being  absent  from  home,  the 
prince  did  me  the  honor  to  converse  with  me  in  that  room,  when 
we  were  interrupted  all  at  once  by  the  noise  which  you  were  pleased 
to  make  in  the  reception-room  here. " 

"  And  being  in  that  room,  you  were  pleased  to  enter  the  recep- 
tion-room through  this  door,"  said  the  prebendary,  sneeringly, 
pointing  to  the  two  opposite  doors.  "  But  why  did  not  the  prince 
accompany  you?  It  would  have  been  so  natural  for  one  friend  of 
the  baroness  to  greet  the  other  !" 

"  I  did  not  come  because  I  heard  that  you  were  there, "  said  the 
prince,  disdainfully,  "  and  because  I  am  in  the  habit  ef  avoiding  any 
contact  with  your  person. " 

"  All,  you  are  jealous  of  me,  then  ?"  asked  the  prebendary.  "  Why 
is  my  person  BO  distasteful  to  you  that  you  should  always  escape 
from  me?" 

"I  escape  from  no  one,  not  even  from  venomous  serpents,  nor 
from  an  individual  like  you,"  said  the  prince,  haughtily.  "I 
avoided  you,  however,  because  I  dislike  your  nose.  Do  you  hear, 
my  impertinent  little  prebendary?  I  dislike  your  nose,  and  I  de- 
mand that  you  never  let  me  see  it  again  !" 

"Ah,  I  understand, "  replied  the  prebendary,  laughing.  "In 
order  to  spare  the  feelings  of  the  fair  baroness,  and  not  to  injure 
her  reputation.  Pardon  me,  for,  in  spite  of  your  prohibition,  I  am 
constantly  compelled  to  defer  to  this  amiable  lady.  You  wish  to 
give  another  direction  to  our  quarrel,  and  my  innocent  nose  is  to  be 


THE  RIVAIA  307 

the  b€te  de  souff ranee.  But  you  shall  not  entrap  me  in  this  manner, 
prince ;  and  you,  my  dear  Baron  Arnstein,  can  you  allow  us  to  con- 
tinue the  quarrel  which  we  commenced  about  your  lady,  now  about 
my  nose,  and  to  conceal,  as  it  were,  the  fair  Baroness  Arnstein  be- 
hind it?" 

"  Baroness  Arnstein  has  no  reason  whatever  to  conceal  herself, " 
said  the  baron,  coldly  and  proudly.  "  As  she  was  not  the  cause  of 
this  quarrel,  I  do  not  know  why  you  are  constantly  dragging  her 
name  into  it.  You  behaved  here  in  so  unbecoming  a  manner,  that 
I  had  to  come  to  the  assistance  of  my  steward.  You  were  then 
pleased  to  utter  insults  against  the  Prince  von  Lichtenstein  in  his 
absence,  and  being  in  the  adjoining  room  and  overhearing  your 
offensive  remarks,  he  came  to  call  you  to  account  for  them. " 

"  And  to  tell  you  that  I  dislike  your  nose,  and  that  I  must  take 
the  liberty  to  amputate  its  impertinent  tip  with  my  sword,"  ex- 
claimed the  prince,  pulling  the  prebendary's  nose. 

It  was  now  the  prebendary's  turn  to  grow  pale,  while  his  eyes 
flashed  with  anger.  "  You  dare  to  insult  me?"  he  asked  menacingly. 

"  Yes,  I  confess  that  is  exactly  my  intention !"  replied  the  prince, 
laughing. 

"  Ah,  you  will  'have  to  give  me  satisfaction  for  this  insult !" 
shouted  the  prebendary. 

"  With  the  greatest  pleasure, "  said  the  prince.  "  This  is  not  the 
place,  however,  to  continue  this  conversation.  .Come,  sir,  let  us 
leave  this  house  together  in  order  to  make  the  necessary  arrange- 
ments— " 

At  this  moment  the  folding- doors  of  the  anteroom  were  opened, 
and  the  voice  of  the  steward  shouted  :  "  The  baroness  !" 

An  exclamation  of  surprise  escaped  from  the  lips  of  the  three 
gentlemen,  and  their  eyes  turned  toward  the  door,  the  threshold  of 
which  Fanny  Arnstein  was  crossing  at  that  moment.  She  seemed 
just  to  have  returned  home ;  her  tail  form  was  still  wrapped  in  a 
long  Turkish  shawl,  embroidered  with  gold  ;  a  charming  little  bon- 
net, adorned  with  flowers  and  plumes,  covered  her  head,  and  in  her 
hand  she  held  one  of  those  large  costly  fans,  adorned  with  precious 
stones,  which  were  in  use  at  that  time  in  the  place  of  parasols.  She 
greeted  the  gentlemen  with  a  winning  smile  ;  not  the  slightest  tinge 
of  care  or  uneasiness  was  visible  in  her  merry  face  ;  not  the  faintest 
glimmer  of  a  tear  darkened  the  lustre  of  her  large  black  eyes. 

"Gentlemen  will  please  accept  my  apology  for  making  them 
wait,  although  this  is  the  hour  when  I  am  in  the  habit  of  receiving 
visitors, "  said  the  baroness,  in  a  perfectly  careless  manner.  "  But  I 
hope  my  husband  has  taken  my  place  in  the  mean  time  and  told  you 
that  I  had  to  preside  over  a  meeting  of  our  Hebrew  Benevolent  So- 
MUHLBACH — N  VOL.  7 


308  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

ciety,  and  you  will  acknowledge  that  that  was  a  duty  which  I  ought 
not  to  have  failed  to  fulfil.  Ah,  you  smile,  Baron  Weichs  ;  you  must 
explain  to  me  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  smile,  if  you  wish  to 
intimate  thereby,  perhaps,  that  there  are  no  important  duties  at 
all  for  us  ladies  to  perform.  Come,  gentlemen,  let  us  sit  down  and 
hear  in  what  manner  Baron  Weichs  will  be  able  to  defend  his  smile. 
Sit  down  here  on  my  right  side,  prince,  and  you,  Baron  Weichs,  on 
my  left,  and  my  husband  may  take  a  seat  opposite  us  and  play  the 
role  of  an  arbiter. " 

"  I  regret  that  I  cannot  comply  any  longer  with  your  amiable  in- 
vitation," said  the  prebendary,  gloomily.  "You  have  made  me 
wait  too  long,  baroness ;  my  time  has  now  expired,  and  I  must 
withdraw.  I  suppose  you  will  accompany  me,  Prince  Lichten- 
stein?" 

"  Yes,  I  shall  accompany  you, "  said  the  prince,  "  for  unfortunately 
my  time  has  also  expired,  and  I  must  go. " 

"  Oh,  no, "  exclaimed  the  baroness,  smiling,  "  you  must  stay  here, 
prince.  I  dare  not  prevent  the  prebendary  from  attending  to  his 
important  affairs,  but  you,  prince,  have  no  such  pretext  for  leaving 
me  ;  I  therefore  order  you  to  remain  and  to  tell  me  all  about  yester- 
day's concert  at  the  imperial  palace." 

"I  regret  exceedingly  that  I  am  unable  to  obey  your  orders," 
said  the  prince,  mournfully.  "  But  I  must  go.  You  just  said,  dear 
lady,  that  an  important  duty  had  kept  you  away  from  home  ;  well, 
it  is  an  important  duty  that  calls  me  away  from  here  ;  hence  I  can- 
not stay.  Farewell,  and  permit  me  to  kiss  your  hand  before  leaving 
you." 

She  gave  him  her  hand,  which  was  as  cold  as  ice  and  trembled 
violently  when  he  took  it.  He  pressed  his  glowing  lips  upon  this 
hand  and  looked  up  to  her.  Their  eyes  met  in  a  last,  tender  glance  ; 
the  prince  then  rose  and  turned  toward  the  prebendary,  who  was 
conversing  with  Baron  Arnstein  in  a  low  and  excited  tone. 

"Come,  sir,  let  us  go,  "he  said,  impetuously,  and  walked  toward 
the  door. 

"  Yes,  let  us  go, "  repeated  the  prebendary,  and  bowing  profoundly 
to  the  baroness,  he  turned  around  and  followed  the  prince. 

Fanny,  who  was  evidently  a  prey  to  the  most  excruciating 
anguish,  followed  them  with  her  distended,  terrified  eyes.  When 
the  door  closed  behind  them,  she  hastily  laid  her  hand  on  her  hus- 
band's shoulder,  and  looked  at  him  with  an  air  of  unutterable  terror. 

"They  will  fight  a  duel?"  she  asked. 

"I  am  afraid  so,"  said  the  baron,  gloomily. 

The  baroness  uttered  a  shriek,  and  after  tottering  back  a  few 
steps,  she  fell  senseless  to  the  floor. 


THE  RIVALS.  309 

Early  on  the  following  morning,  four  men  with  grave  faces  and 
gloomy  eyes  stood  in  the  thicket  of  a  forest  not  far  from  Vienna. 

Two  of  them  were  just  about  divesting  themselves  of  their  heavy 
coats,  embroidered  with  gold,  in  order  to  meet  in  mortal  combat, 
their  bare  breasts  only  protected  by  their  fine  cambric  shirts.  These 
two  men  were  Prince  Charles  von  Lichtenstein  and  the  prebendary, 
Baron  Weichs. 

The  other  two  gentlemen  were  engaged  in  loading  the  pistols 
and  counting  off  the  steps ;  they  were  Baron  Arnstein  and  Count 
Palfy,  the  seconds  of  the  two  duellists.  When  they  had  performed 
this  mournful  task,  they  approached  the  two  adversaries  in  order  to 
make  a  last  effort  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation. 

"  I  implore  you  in  my  own  name, "  whispered  Baron  Arnstein  in 
the  ear  of  the  Prince  von  Lichtenstein — "  I  implore  you  in  the  name 
of  my  wife,  if  a  reconciliation  should  be  possible,  accept  it,  and 
avoid  by  all  means  so  deplorable  an  event.  Remember  that  the 
honor  of  a  lady  is  compromised  so  easily  and  irretrievably,  and  that 
my  wife  would  never  forgive  herself  if  she  should  become,  perhaps, 
the  innocent  cause  of  your  death. " 

"  Nobody  will  find  out  that  we  fight  a  duel  for  her  sake, "  said  the 
prince.  "  My  honor  requires  me  to  give  that  impertinent  fellow  a 
well-deserved  lesson,  and  he  shall  have  it !" 

Count  Palfy,  the  prebendary's  second,  approached  them.  "If 
your  highness  should  be  willing  to  ask  Baron  Weichs  to  excuse  your 
conduct  on  yesterday,  the  baron  would  be  ready  to  accept  your 
apology  and  to  withdraw  his  challenge. " 

"  I  have  no  apology  to  offer, "  exclaimed  the  prince,  loudly,  "  and 
I  am  unwilling  to  prevent  the  duel  from  taking  its  course.  I  told 
the  prebendaiy  that  I  disliked  his  nose,  and  that  I  wished  to  ampu- 
tate its  impertinent  tip.  Well,  I  am  now  here  to  perform  this 
operation,  and  if  you  please,  let  us  at  once  proceed  to  business. " 

"Yes,  let  us  do  so,"  shouted  the  prebendary.  "Give  us  the 
pistols,  gentlemen,  and  then  the  signal.  When  you  clap  for  the 
third  time,  we  shall  shoot  simultaneously.  Pray  for  your  poor  soul, 
Prince  von  Lichtenstein,  for  I  am  a  dead  shot  at  one  hundred  yards, 
and  our  distance  will  only  be  twenty  paces. " 

The  prince  made  no  reply,  but  took  the  pistol  which  his  second 
handed  to  him.  "  If  I  should  fall, "  he  whispered  to  him,  "  take  my 
last  greetings  to  your  wife,  and  tell  her  that  I  died  with  her  name 
on  my  lips !" 

"  If  I  should  fall, "  said  the  prebendary  to  his  second,  in  an  under- 
tone, but  loud  enough  for  his  opponent  to  hear  every  word  he  said, 
"  tell  the  dear  city  of  Vienna  and  my  friends  that  I  have  fought  a 
duel  with  Prince  Lichtenstein  because  he  was  my  rival  with  the 


310  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

beautiful  Baroness  Arnstein,  and  that  I  have  died  with  the  convic- 
tion that  he  was  the  lover  of  the  fair  lady. " 

A  pause  ensued.  The  seconds  conducted  the  two  gentlemen  to 
their  designated  places  and  then  stood  back,  in  order  to  give  the 
fatal  signals. 

When  they  clapped  for  the  first  time,  the  two  duellists  raised  the 
hand  with  the  pistol,  fixing  their  angry  and  threatening  eyes  on  each 
other. 

Then  followed  the  second,  the  third  signal. 

Two  shots  were  fired  at  the  same  time. 

The  prebendary  stood  firmly  and  calmly  where  he  had  discharged 
his  weapon,  the  same  defiant  smile  playing  on  his  lips,  and  the  same 
threatening  expression  beaming  in  his  eyes. 

Prince  Charles  von  Lichtenstein  lay  on  the  ground,  reddening 
the  earth  with  the  blood  which  was  rushing  from  his  breast.  When 
Baron  Arnstein  bent  over  him,  he  raised  his  eyes  with  a  last  look 
toward  him.  "  Take  her  my  last  love-greetings, "  he  breathed,  in  a 
scarcely  audible  voice.  "  Tell  her  that  I — " 

His  voice  gave  way,  and  with  the  last  awful  death-rattle  a 
stream  of  blood  poured  from  his  mouth. 

"  Hasten  to  save  yourself, "  shouted  Count  Palfy  to  the  preben- 
dary, who  had  been  looking  at  the  dying  man  from  his  stand -point 
with  cold,  inquisitive  glances.  "Flee,  for  you  have  killed  the 
prince  ;  he  has  already  ceased  to  breathe.  Flee  !  In  the  shrubbery 
below  you  will  find  my  carriage,  which  will  convey  you  rapidly  to 
the  next  post-station. " 

"He  is  dead  and  I  am  alive  !"  said  the  prebendary,  quietly.  "It 
would  not  have  been  worth  while  to  die  for  the  sake  of  a  woman  be- 
cause she  has  got  another  lover.  It  is  much  wiser  in  such  cases  to 
kill  the  rival,  and  thus  to  remove  the  obstacle  separating  us  from 
the  woman.  But  I  shall  not  escape  ;  on  the  contrary,  I  shall  go  to 
the  emperor  myself,  and  inform  him  of  what  has  occurred  here. 
We  are  living  in  times  of  war  and  carnage,  and  a  soul  more  or  less 
is,  therefore,  of  no  great  importance.  Inasmuch  as  the  emperor 
constantly  sends  hundreds  of  thousands  of  his  innocent  and  harmless 
subjects  to  fight  duels  with  enemies  of  whom  they  do  not  even  know 
why  they  are  their  enemies,  he  will  deem  it  but  a  matter  of  course 
that  two  of  his  subjects,  who  know  very  well  why  they  are  enemies, 
should  fight  a  duel,  and  hence  I  am  sure  that  his  majesty  will  forgive 
me.  Brave  and  intrepid  men  are  not  sent  to  the  fortress.  I  shall 
not  flee  I" 


THE  LEGACY.  311 

CHAPTER     XXXIX. 

THE  LEGACY. 

THREE  days  had  passed  since  that  unfortunate  event.  Early  on 
this,  the  third  day,  the  corpse  of  the  prince  had  been  conveyed  to 
the  tomb  of  his  family  ;  a  large  and  brilliant  funeral  procession  had 
accompanied  the  coffin ;  even  the  carriages  of  the  emperor,  the 
archdukes,  and  high  dignitaries  of  the  state  had  participated  in  the 
procession,  and  the  Viennese,  who  for  three  days  had  spoken  of 
nothing  else  but  the  tragic  end  of  the  young  and  handsome  Prince 
Charles  von  Lichtenstein,  derived  some  satisfaction  from  the  con- 
viction that  they  were  sharing  the  sympathy  of  the  imperial  family 
for  the  deceased  ;  thousands  of  them  consequently  joined  the  proces- 
sion and  accompanied  the  coffin. 

But  this  manifestation  of  sympathy  did  not  seem  sufficient  to  the 
good-hearted  and  hot-blooded  people.  They  did  not  merely  wish  to 
show  their  love  for  the  deceased  ;  they  also  wanted  to  manifest  their 
hatred  against  the  man  who  had  slain  him ;  and,  on  their  return 
from  the  funeral,  the  people  rushed  to  the  Kohlmarkt  and  gathered 
with  loud  shouts  and  savage  threats  in  front  of  the  house  of  the 
prebendary,  Baron  Weichs. 

It  was  reported  that  the  prebendary,  whom  the  people  charged 
•with  having  assassinated  Prince  Lichtenstein,  was  constantly  in 
Vienna ;  and  as  this  fact  seemed  to  indicate  that  the  emperor  did 
not  intend  to  punish  his  misdeed,  the  people  wanted  to  take  it  upon 
themselves  to  chastise  him,  or  to  give  him  at  least  a  proof  of  the 
public  hatred. 

"Smash  the  murderer's  windows  !"  shouted  the  people,  who  were 
constantly  reenforced  by  fresh  crowds  appearing  on  the  Kohlmarkt. 
And,  passing  from  threats  to  deeds,  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  busy 
hands  tore  up  the  pavement  in  order  to  hurl  the  stones  at  the  house 
and  windows  of  the  prebendary.  And  the  rattling  of  the  windows, 
the  loud  noise  of  the  stones  glancing  off  on  the  walls,  increased  the 
rage  and  exasperation  of  the  people.  Soon  they  were  no  longer  con- 
tented with  doing  this,  but  wished  to  get  hold  of  the  malefactor 
himself,  and  to  punish  him  for  his  crime.  The  crowd  rushed  with 
wild  clamor  toward  the  closed  street-door  of  the  baron's  house  ;  one 
among  them  quickly  climbed  on  the  shoulders  of  another,  in  order 
to  tear  down  the  coat-of-arms  of  the  prebendary,  fixed  over  the 
entrance,  and  thundering  applause  greeted  him  when  he  had  accom- 
plished his  purpose.  The  infuriated  men  then  commenced  striking 


312  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

at  the  door  itself,  which  offered,  however,  to  all  attacks,  a  firm  and 
unyielding  resistance. 

Suddenly  a  stern,  imperious  voice  shouted  :  "  Stop !  Stand  back  \ 
stand  back !" 

The  people  turned  around  in  terror,  and  discovered  only  then 
that  a  carriage,  surrounded  and  followed  by  twenty  mounted  police- 
men, was  approaching  from  the  alley  on  which  the  principal  door 
of  the  prebendary's  house  was  situated.  This  carriage,  with  its 
sinister  escort,  could  make  but  slow  headway  through  the  dense 
mass  of  the  people,  who  looked  inquisitively  through  the  lowered 
windows  into  the  interior  of  the  coach.  Every  one  was  able  to  rec- 
ognize the  three  gentlemen  who  were  seated  in  the  carriage,  and 
who  were  none  other  than  the  prebendary,  Baron  Weichs,  and  two 
of  the  best  known  and  most  feared  high  functionaries  of  the  police. 
The  baron's  face  was  pale  and  gloomy,  but  the  defiant,  impudent 
smile  was  still  playing  on  his  thin  lips.  He  looked,  with  an  air  of 
boundless  contempt,  at  the  crowd  surging  around  his  carriage  and 
staring  at  him  as  if  it  wished  to  read  in  his  pale  features  the  sen- 
tence that  had  been  pronounced  against  him. 

"How  inquisitive  is  the  populace  !"  said  the  prebendary,  disdain- 
fully. "  They  are  so  anxious  to  find  out  whether  I  am  now  being 
conveyed  to  the  place  of  execution,  which  would  be  a  most  welcome 
spectacle  for  them.  You  ought  to  have  mercy  on  this  amiable  rab- 
ble, gentlemen,  and  inform  them  of  the  evil  tidings  that  I  have 
unfortunately  not  been  sentenced  to  be  hanged  on  the  gallows,  nor 
to  be  broken  on  the  wheel,  but  only  to  be  imprisoned  in  a  fortress 
for  ten  years,  which  I  shall  pass  at  the  beautiful  citadel  of  Komorn. " 

The  two  officers  only  replied  to  him  by  silently  nodding,  and  the 
carriage  passed  on.  But  some  compassionate  and  talkative  police 
agent  had  informed  the  people  that  the  emperor  had  sentenced  the 
prebendary,  Baron  Weichs,  to  ten  years'  imprisonment  in  a  fortress, 
and  that  he  was  at  this  moment  on  his  way  to  Komorn.  The  people 
received  this  intelligence  with  jubilant  shouts,  and  dispersed  through 
the  city  in  order  to  inform  their  friends  and  acquaintances  of  the 
welcome  news,  and  then  to  go  home,  well  satisfied  with  the  day's 
amusements  and  diversions. 

And  the  waves  of  life  closed  over  the  lamentable  event,  and  car- 
ried  it  down  into  the  abyss  of  oblivion.  A  few  days  passed  by,  and 
another  occurrence  caused  the  colloquies  concerning  the  duel  of 
Prince  Lichtenstein  and  what  had  brought  it  about  to  cease,  as  some 
new  subject  of  conversation  took  its  place. 

One  heart  alone  did  not  console  itself  so  rapidly ;  one  soul  alone 
bewailed  him  on  comfortless  days  and  restless  nights,  and  paid  to 
him  the  tribute  of  tears  and  sighs.  Since  that  last  meeting  with  the 


THE  LEGACY.  313 

prince,  Fanny  Arnstein  had  not  left  her  cabinet  again ;  its  doors 
had  been  closed  against  everybody,  and  she  had  wept  and  sighed 
there  during  these  three  days,  without  taking  a  morsel  of  food. 

Vainly  had  her  husband  often  come  to  her  door  in  order  to  im- 
plore her  to  open  it  at  last,  and  to  take  some  nourishment.  Fanny 
had  never  answered  him  ;  and  if  he  had  not,  constantly  and  stealthily 
returning  to  her  door  at  night,  heard  her  low  sobs  and  half -loud 
wailing,  he  would  have  believed  that  grief  had  killed  her,  and  that 
love  had  intended  to  unite  her  in  heaven  with  him  to  whom  her 
heart  belonged,  as  they  had  been  so  hopelessly  separated  on  earth. 

To-day,  after  the  prince's  funeral,  the  baron  again  entered  the 
reception-room  adjoining  his  wife's  cabinet,  but  this  time  he  did 
not  come  alone.  A  lady,  whose  face  was  covered  with  a  large  black 
veil,  accompanied  him,  and  walked  at  his  side  to  the  constantly 
closed  door. 

The  baron  knocked  at  this  door,  and  begged  his  wife,  in  words 
of  heart- felt  sympathy,  to  open  it  to  him. 

There  was  no  reply ;  not  a  word  was  heard  from  the  unhappy 
baroness. 

"You  see,  your  highness,"  whispered  the  baron,  turning  to  the 
veiled  lady,  "  it  is  as  I  told  you.  All  prayers  are  in  vain  ;  she  does 
not  leave  her  room  ;  she  will  die  of  grief. " 

"  No,  she  will  not  die, "  said  the  lady,  "  she  is  young,  and  youth 
survives  all  grief.  Let  me  try  if  I  cannot  induce  her  to  admit 
us." 

And  she  knocked  at  the  door  with  bold  fingers,  and  exclaimed : 
"  Pray,  Fanny,  open  the  door,  and  let  me  come  in.  It  is  I,  Princess 
Eibenberg  ;  it  is  I,  your  friend,  Marianne  Meier  ;  I  want  to  see  my 
dear  Fanny  Itzig. " 

Every  thing  remained  silent ;  nothing  stirred  behind  that  locked 
door.  Marianne  removed  her  veil,  and  showed  her  proud,  pale 
countenance  to  the  baron. 

"  Baron, "  she  said,  gravely,  "  at  this  hour  I  forgive  you  the  insult 
and  contempt  you  hurled  at  me  five  years  ago  on  your  wedding-day. 
Fate  has  avenged  me  and  punished  you  cruelly,  for  I  see  that  you 
have  suffered  a  great  deal  during  the  last  three  days.  My  heart  does 
not  bear  you  any  ill-will  now,  and  I  will  try  to  restore  your  beauti- 
ful and  unhappy  wife  to  you,  and  to  console  her.  But  I  must  re- 
quest you  to  leave  this  room.  I  know  a  charm,  by  which  I  shall 
decoy  Fanny  from  that  room  ;  but  in  order  to  do  so  I  must  be  alone, 
and  nobody,  save  herself,  must  be  able  to  hear  me. " 

"  Very  well,  I  will  go, "  said  the  baron,  mournfully.  "  But  permit 
me  first  to  ask  you  to  do  me  a  favor.  My  request  will  prove  to  you 
the  confidence  I  repose  in  you.  Please  do  not  tell  Fanny  that  you 


314  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

saw  me  sad  and  deeply  moved ;  do  not  intimate  any  thing  to  her 
about  my  own  grief. " 

"She  will  perceive  herself,  from  your  pale  face  and  hollow 
cheeks,  poor  baron  !"  exclaimed  Marianne. 

"  No,  she  is  not  accustomed  to  look  at  me  attentively ;  it  will 
escape  her, "  said  the  baron,  sadly,  "  and  I  would  not  have  it  appear 
as  though  I  were  suffering  by  her  grief,  which  I  deem  but  natural 
and  just.  I  beg  you,  therefore,  to  say  nothing  about  me. " 

"I  shall  fulfil  your  wish,"  said  Marianne.  "Fanny  will,  per- 
haps, thank  you  one  day  for  the  delicacy  with  which  you  are  now 
behaving  toward  her.  But  go  now,  so  that  I  may  call  her. " 

The  baron  left  the  [room,  and  Marianne  returned  to  the  door. 
"  Fanny, "  she  said, "  come  to  me,  or  open  the  door  and  let  me  walk 
in.  I  have  to  deliver  to  you  a  message  and  a  letter  from  Prince 
Charles  von  Lichtenstein. " 

Now  a  low  cry  from  the  cabinet  was  heard  ;  the  bolt  was  drawn 
back,  the  door  opened,  and  Baroness  Arnstein  appeared  on  the 
threshold .  Her  face  was  as  pale  as  marble  ;  her  eyes,  reddened  by 
weeping,  lay  deeply  in  their  orbits  ;  her  black,  dishevelled  hair  fell 
down  on  her  back  like  a  long  mourning  veil.  She  was  still  beauti- 
ful 'and  lovely,  but  hers  was  now  the  beauty  of  a  Magdalen. 

"You  bring  me  a  message  from  him?"  she  asked,  in  a  low, 
tremulous  voice,  and  with  tearful  eyes. 

"  Yes,  Fanny, "  said  Marianne,  scarcely  able  to  overcome  her  own 
emotion,  "  I  bring  you  his  last  love -greetings.  He  believed  that 
he  would  fall,  and  on  that  fatal  morning,  before  repairing  to  the 
duelling- grounds,  he  paid  me  a  visit.  We  had  long  been  acquainted 
and  intimate  ;  both  of  us  had  a  great,  common  goal  in  view  ;  both 
of  us  were  pursuing  the  same  paths ;  this  was  the  origin  of  our 
acquaintance.  He  knew,  too,  that  I  had  been  a  friend  of  yours 
from  your  childhood,  and  he  therefore  intrusted  to  me  his  last  mes- 
sage to  you.  Here,  Fanny,  this  small  box  contains  all  the  little 
souvenirs  and  love-tokens  which  he  has  received  from  you,  and 
which  he  deemed  much  too  precious  to  destroy  or  to  take  into  his 
grave;  hence  he  requests  you  to  preserve  them.  They  consist  of 
withered  flowers  which  you  once  gave  him,  of  a  ribbon  which  you 
lost,  of  a  few  notes  which  you  wrote  to  him,  and  from  which  the 
malicious  and  slanderous  world  might  perceive  the  harmless  and 
innocent  character  of  your  intercourse,  and,  last,  of  your  miniature, 
painted  by  the  prince  himself,  from  memory.  This  casket  the 
prince  requests  you  to  accept  as  his  legacy.  It  is  a  set  of  pearls,  an 
heirloom  of  his  family,  which  his  dying  mother  once  gave  to  him 
in  order  to  adorn  with  it  his  bride  on  his  wedding-day.  The  prince 
sends  it  to  you  and  implores  you  to  wear  it  as  a  souvenir  from  him, 


THE  LEGACY.  315 

because  you  were  the  bride  of  his  heart.  And  here,  Fanny,  here  is 
a  letter  from  him,  the  last  lines  he  ever  wrote,  and  they  are  ad- 
dressed to  you. " 

The  baroness  uttered  a  cry  of  joy ;  seizing  the  paper  with  pas- 
sionate violence,  she  pressed  it  to  her  lips,  and  knelt  down  with  it. 

"I  thank  Thee,  my  God,  I  thank  Thee  !"  she  murmured,  in  a  low 
voice.  "  Thou  hast  sent  me  this  consolation !  Thou  dost  not  want 
me  to  die  of  despair !" 

And  now,  still  remaining  on  her  knees,  she  slowly  unfolded  the 
paper  and  read  this  last  glowing  farewell,  this  last  tender  protesta- 
tion of  his  love,  with  which  the  prince  took  leave  of  her. 

Marianne  stood,  with  folded  arms,  in  a  bay  window,  watching 
her  friend  with  grave,  sympathetic  eyes,  and  beheld  the  pallor  and 
blushes  which  appeared  in  quick  succession  on  her  cheeks,  the  im- 
petuous heaving  of  her  bosom,  the  tremor  of  her  whole  frame,  and 
the  tears  pouring  down  like  rivers  from  Fanny's  eyes  on  the  paper, 
with  a  mingled  feeling  of  pity  and  astonishment. 

"  It  must  be  beautiful  to  be  able  to  love  in  such  a  manner, "  she 
thought.  "Beautiful,  too,  to  be  able  to  suffer  thus.  Enviable  the 
women  living  with  their  hearts  and  deriving  from  them  alone  their 
happiness  and  grief.  Such  a  lot  has  not  fallen  to  my  share,  and  I 
am  almost  afraid  that  I  do  not  love  any  thing  but  myself.  My  life 
is  concentrated  in  my  head,  and  my  blood  only  rushes  from  the  latter 
to  my  heart.  Who  is  more  to  be  pitied,  Fanny  with  the  grief  of 
her  love,  or  I,  who  will  never  know  such  a  grief?  But  she  has  wept 
now,  and  her  tears  might  finally  cause  me  to  weep,  too,  and  to 
awaken  my  love.  That  must  not  be,  however.  One  who  has  to 
pursue  great  plans,  like  myself,  must  keep  a  cool  head  and  a  cold 
heart. " 

And  she  approached  with  quick  steps  the  baroness,  who  was  yet 
on  her  knees,  reading  and  re-reading  the  farewell  letter  of  the 
prince. 

"Rise  from  your  knees,  Fanny,"  she  said,  almost  imperiously. 
"You  have  paid  the  tribute  of  your  tears  to  the  departed  friend,  you 
have  wept  for  him  for  three  days  ;  now  bury  the  past  in  your  heart 
and  think  of  your  future,  my  poor  girl. " 

"My  future?"  said  Fanny,  permitting  her  friend  to  raise  her 
gently.  "  My  future  is  broken  and  darkened  forever,  and  there  is  a 
cloud  on  my  name,  which  will  never  leave  it.  Oh,  why  is  there  no 
convent  for  the  Jewess,  no  lonely  cell  whither  she  might  take  refuge, 
with  her  unhappiness  and  disgrace?" 

"  Do  as  I  have  done, "  said  Marianne  ;  "  let  the  whole  world  be 
your  convent,  and  your  reception-room  the  cell  in  which  you  do 
penance,  by  compelling  men  to  kneel  before  you  and  adore  you, 


316  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

instead  of  kneeling  yourself,  and  mortifying  your  flesh.  Lay  your 
unhappiness  and  your  disgrace  like  a  halo  around  your  head,  and 
boldly  meet  the  world  with  open  eyes  and  a  proud  mien.  If  you 
were  poor  and  nameless  I  should  seriously  advise  you  to  become  a 
Catholic,  and  to  take  refuge  in  a  convent.  But  you  are  rich ;  you 
bear  a  distinguished,  aristocratic  name ;  your  husband  is  able  to 
give  sumptuous  dinner-parties ;  consequently  people  will  pardon  his 
wife  for  having  become  the  heroine  of  an  unfortunate  romance,  and 
they  will  take  good  care  not  to  turn  their  backs  on  nor  to  point  their 
fingers  at  you ;  and  whenever  you  pass  them  in  the  street,  not  to 
laugh  scornfully  and  tell  your  history  in  an  audible  voice.  I,  my 
child,  formerly  had  to  bear  such  contumely  and  humiliation,  and  I 
took  a  solemn  oath  at  that  time  that  I  would  revenge  myself  upon 
this  world,  which  believed  it  had  a  right  to  despise  me — that  I 
would  revenge  myself  by  becoming  its  equal.  And  I  have  fulfilled 
my  oath  ;  I  am  now  a  princess  and  a  highness.  The  proud  world 
that  once  scorned  me  now  bows  to  me  ;  the  most  virtuous  and  aris- 
tocratic ladies  do  not  deem  it  derogatory  to  their  dignity  to  appear 
in  my  reception-room  ;  the  most  distinguished  princes  and  cavaliers 
court  the  friendship  and  favor  of  the  Princess  von  Eibenberg,  nee 
Marianne  Meier.  Follow  my  example,  therefore,  Fanny  ;  brave  the 
world  •,  appear  in  your  reception-room  with  serene  calmness  and 
ease ;  give  even  more  sumptuous  dinner-parties  than  heretofore, 
and  the  small  cloud  now  darkening  your  name  will  pass  by  unno- 
ticed. People  will  come  at  first  from  motives  of  curiosity,  in_  order 
to  see  how  you  bear  your  affliction  and  how  you  behave  under  the 
tclat  produced  by  the  deplorable  occurrence  ;  next  they  will  come 
because  your  dinners  are  so  very  excellent,  and  because  this  and 
that  princess  or  countess,  this  and  that  prince,  minister,  or  general, 
do  not  disdain  to  appear  in  your  reception-room,  and  thus  the  whole 
affair  will  gradually  be  forgotten. " 

"  But  my  heart  will  not  forget  it,"  said  the  baroness,  mournfully ; 
"  my  heart  will  never  cease  to  weep  for  him,  and  when  my  heart  is 
weeping,  my  eyes  will  not  laugh.  You  have  had  the  courage  to 
conceal  your  tears  under  a  smile,  and  not  to  suffer  your  head  to  be 
weighed  down  by  the  disgrace  and  contumely  which  they  tried  to 
heap  on  it.  I  shall  have  the  courage  not  to  conceal  my  tears,  and  to 
walk  about,  bending  my  head  under  the  disgrace  and  contumely 
which  have  undeservedly  fallen  to  my  share.  If  I  were  guiltier,  1 
should  be  able,  perhaps,  to  brave  the  world  ;  but  having  to  mourn, 
not  over  a  guilty  action,  but  only  over  a  misfortune,  I  shall  weep  I 
Let  the  world  condemn  me  for  it ;  I  shall  not  hear  its  judgment,  for 
I  shall  retire  into  solitude. " 

"  Oh,   you   foolish   woman  1"    exclaimed   Marianne,    fervently- 


THE  LEGACY.  317 

"  Yes,  foolish,  because  you  believe  already  at  the  beginning  of  your 
life  that  you  are  done  with  it.  My  child,  the  human  heart  is  much 
too  weak  to  be  able  to  bear  such  a  grief  for  many  years.  It  gradu- 
ally grows  tired  of  it  and  finally  drops  it,  and  perceives  then  all  at 
once  that  it  is  quite  empty.  Tedium,  with  its  long  spider-legs,  will 
then  creep  over  you  and  draw  its  dusty  network  around  and  no  one 
will  tear  away  this  network,  because  nobody  will  be  there  to  do 
this  salutary  service,  for  you  will  have  driven  people  away  from 
your  side  and  preferred  loneliness  to  their  society.  Beware  of  soli- 
tude, or  rather  learn  to  be  alone  in  the  midst  of  the  world,  but  not 
in  the  privacy  of  your  deserted  boudoir.  You  have  to  fulfil  a  beauti- 
ful and  grand  mission  here  in  Vienna.  You  have  to  emancipate  the 
Jews — in  a  manner,  however,  different  from  the  course  I  have  pur- 
sued. I  have  proved  to  the  foolish  world  that  a  Jewess  may  very 
well  be  a  princess  and  worthily  represent  her  exalted  rank,  notwith- 
standing her  oriental  blood  and  curved  nose  ;  but  in  order  to  be  able 
to  prove  it  to  the  world,  I  had  to  give  up  my  religion  and  to  desert 
my  people.  It  is  your  mission  to  finish  the  work  I  have  commenced, 
and  to  secure  to  the  Jews  a  distinguished  and  undisputed  place  in 
society.  You  shall  be  the  mediator  between  the  aristocracy  of  blood 
and  of  pedigree  and  the  aristocracy  of  money — the  mediator  between 
the  Christians  and  the  Jews.  You  shall  give  to  the  Jews  here  in 
Vienna  a  position  such  as  they  are  justly  entitled  to  :  free,  respected, 
and  emancipated  from  the  degrading  yoke  of  prejudices.  Such  is 
your  mission.  Go  and  fulfil  it !" 

"  You  are  right,  Marianne, "  replied  Fanny,  with  glowing  enthu- 
siasm. "  I  will  fulfil  the  mission,  for  it  is  a  grand  and  sacred  one, 
and  it  will  comfort  and  strengthen  my  heart.  The  happiness  of  my 
life  is  gone  forever ;  but  I  may,  perhaps,  be  happy  in  my  unhappi- 
ness,  and  I  will  now  try  to  become  so  by  consoling  the  unhappy,  by 
assisting  the  suffering,  and  by  giving  an  asylum  to  the  disowned 
and  proscribed.  To  dry  tears,  to  distribute  alms,  and  to  scatter  joy 
and  happiness  around  me — that  shall  be  the  balm  with  which  I  will 
heal  the  wounds  of  my  heart.  You  are  right ;  I  will  not  retire  from 
the  world,  but  I  will  compel  it  to  respect  me  ;  I  will  not  flee  with 
my  grief  into  solitude,  but  I  will  remain  with  it  in  the  midst  of 
society,  a  comfort  to  all  sufferers,  a  refuge  to  all  needing  my  assist- 
ance I"  * 

*  Fanny  von  Arastein  kept  her  word.  Her  house  became  the  centre  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished intellectual  life;  her  hands  were  always  open  and  ready  to  scatter  charities 
and  to  spread  blessings.  She  did  not,  however,  give  merely  with  her  hands,  but  also 
with  her  heart,  and  only  thereby  she  became  a  true  benefactress;  for  she  added  to  her 
gifts  that  pity  and  sagacity  which  know  how  to  appreciate  the  true  sort  of  relief. 
To  many  people  she  secured  lasting  happiness;  to  many  she  opened  the  road  to 
wealth,  and  to  some  she  gave  sums  which,  in  themselves,  were  equivalent  to  an  in. 


318  .  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  That  is  right !  I  like  to  hear  you  talk  thus, "  exclaimed  Mari- 
anne, embracing  her  friend,  and  tenderly  pressing  her  to  her  heart. 
"  Now  my  fears  for  you  are  gone,  and  I  may  bid  you  farewell  with 
a  reassured  and  comforted  heart.  My  travelling- coach  is  waiting 
for  me,  and  I  shall  set  out  in  the  course  of  the  present  hour. " 

"And  where  are  you  going?"  asked  Fanny,  sympathetically. 

"That  is  a  secret — a  profound  political  secret, "  said  Marianne, 
smiling  ;  "  but  I  will  confide  it  to  you  as  a  proof  of  my  love.  I  go 
to  Paris  for  the  purpose  of  delivering  to  the  first  consul  a  letter  from 
the  poor  Count  de  Provence,  whom  the  royalists,  and  consequently 
myself,  also  call  King  Louis  the  Eighteenth  of  France.  That,  Fanny, 
is  the  legacy  Prince  Charles  von  Lichtenstein  has  bequeathed  to  me. 
Through  him  I  became  acquainted  with  some  of  those  noble  emigres 
who  preferred  to  give  up  their  country  and  their  possessions,  and  to 
wander  about  foreign  lands  without  a  home,  instead  of  proving 
faithless  to  their  king,  and  of  obeying  that  despotic  republic  and 
the  tyrant  who  now  lays  his  iron  hand  upon  France.  It  was  the 
Prince  von  Lichtenstein  who,  two  weeks  ago,  brought  the  Duke 
d'Enghien  to  me,  and  initiated  me  into  the  great  plans  of  the  un- 
fortunate Bourbons. " 

"The  Duke  d'Enghien  was  here  in  Vienna?"  asked  Fanny,  in 
surprise. 

"Yes,  he  was  here ;  he  kept  himself  concealed  in  the  palace  of 
your  friend  Lichtenstein,  and  only  his  devoted  adherents  knew 
where  he  was.  The  prince  belonged  to  his  most  enthusiastic  fol- 
lowers and  friends.  Oh,  what  plans  those  two  fiery  young  men 
conceived  in  the  safe  asylum  of  my  reception-room !  what  great 
things  did  they  expect  from  the  future  for  the  cause  of  the  Bourbons 
and  for  France  !  You  ought  to  have  see  Prince  Charles  von  Lichten- 
stein in  such  hours,  Fanny  ;  then  you  would  have  really  understood 
and  boundlessly  loved  him.  His  cheeks,  then,  were  glowing  with 
noble  impetuosity  ;  his  eyes  flashed  fire,  and  sublime  words  of  soul- 
stirring  eloquence  dropped  from  his  lips.  Never  has  an  enemy  been 
hated  more  ardently  than  he  hated  Bonaparte,  the  first  consul ;  never 
has  a  cause  been  more  passionately  adhered  to  than  the  cause  of  his 
unhappy  fatherland  and  that  of  the  exiled  Bourbons.  If  the  Count 
de  Provence  could  boast  of  a  hundred  such  defenders  as  was  the 
Prince  von  Lichteustein,  he  would  have  reconstructed  the  throne  of 
the  fleur-de-lis  within  a  week  in  Paris.  Dry  your  tears,  Fanny,  for 
you  are  not  most  to  be  pitied.  You  only  lost  a  lover,  but  the  Bour- 

dependent  fortune.  Her  hospitality  equalled  her  benevolence,  and  she  exercised  it 
with  rare  amiability  and  to  a  remarkable  extent.  Every  day  numerous  guef  ts  were 
received  in  her  house  in  the  city  as  well  as  in  her  villa,  where  they  enjoyed  the  ad- 
Tantages  of  the  most  attractive,  enlightened,  and  distinguished  society. 


THE  LEGACY.  319 

bong  lost  a  champion  and  Germany  a  true  and  valorous  son  ;  these 
two  are  more  to  be  pitied  than  you.  You  may  find  a  hundred  other 
lovers,  if  such  should  be  your  desire,  but  the  Bourbons  have  but  few 
champions,  and  the  number  of  the  true  and  noble  sons  of  Germany 
is  constantly  on  the  decrease. " 

"And  he  said  nothing  to  me  about  his  plans  and  hopes?"  ex- 
claimed Fanny,  reproachfully.  "  He  never  made  me  suspect  that — ' 

"  That  he  had  not  only  a  heart  for  love,  but  also  for  politics  and 
for  the  cause  of  the  fatherland !"  interrupted  Marianne,  smiling. 
"My  child,  he  loved  with  his  heart;  hence,  so  long  as  he  was  with 
you,  all  the  schemes  of  his  head  were  silent.  Still  he  knew  that 
the  beloved  of  his  heart  was  able  and  worthy,  too,  to  be  the  friend 
of  his  head ;  and  when  he  took  leave  of  me,  he  instructed  me  to 
initiate  you  into  all  his  plans,  and  to  let  you  participate  in  his 
hopes.  Fanny,  your  friend  greets  you  through  my  mouth  ;  he  wishes 
to  transfer  his  love  and  his  hatred,  now  that  he  has  left  us  forever 
to  yourself.  As  he  was  a  faithful  son  of  his-German  fatherland, 
you  shall  be  its  faithful  daughter  and  guardian,  and  watch  over  the 
welfare  of  your  country,  and  devote  yourself  to  its  service  with 
your  whole  strength.  As  he  was  an  inexorable  enemy  of  that  new, 
blood-stained  France  and  of  her  dictator,  you  shall  forswear  all  con- 
nection with  that  country,  which  soon  wiirpour  its  torrents  of  blood 
and  fire  over  our  own  unhappy  fatherland.  You  shall  do  whatever 
will  serve  and  be  useful  to  the  fatherland,  and  you  shall  abhor,  perse- 
cute, and  combat  every  menace  to  subjugate  German y.  Your  house 
shall  be  open  to  all  German  patriots  ;  it  shall  be  closed  against  all 
enemies  of  Germany,  no  matter  whether  they  are  Germans  or  French, 
or  to  whatever  nation  they  may  belong.  Such,  Fanny,  is  the  legacy 
which  Prince  Charles  von  Lichtenstein,  the  noble  German  patriot, 
has  bequeathed  to  you  with  his  love,  and  which  is  to  comfort  and 
strengthen  you  in  your  grief. " 

"I  accept  this  legacy,"  exclaimed  Fanny,  radiant  with  enthu- 
siasm. "Yes,  I  accept  this  legacy  and  will  fulfil  it  faithfully  !  To 
Germany  I  will  transfer  the  love  which  I  once  devoted  to  him ;  I 
will  love  and  honor  him  in  each  of  our  German  brethren.  Like 
him,  I  will  hate  the  enemies  of  Germany,  and  never  shall  my  house 
be  opened  to  them — never  shall  they  cross  its  threshold  as  welcome 
guests !  As  I  cannot  be  a  happy  wife,  I  will  try  to  be  a  faithful 
daughter  of  my  country,  to  love  its  friends  faithfully,  and  to  hate 
its  enemies  bitterly !" 

"That  is  right,"  said  Marianne,  joyfully.  "Now  you  have  re- 
ceived your  best  consolation,  and  the  grief  of  your  love  will  be 
transformed  into  deeds  of  love.  The  blessing  of  your  departed  friend 
will  be  with  you,  and  the  love  of  your  fatherland  will  reward  you 


320  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

for  what  you  will  do  for  it.  And  you  shall  assist  our  despised  and 
down -trodden  Jews,  too,  by  proving  to  those  who  scorn  us  and  con- 
temptuously treat  us  as  aliens,  that  we  feel  like  natives  and  children 
of  the  country  in  which  we  were  born,  and  that  we  do  not  seek  for 
our  Jerusalem  in  the  distant  Orient,  but  in  the  fatherland  we  share 
with  all  other  Germans.  Let  us  prove  to  these  Christians  that  we 
also  are  good  patriots,  and  that  we  love  our  fatherland  like  them, 
and  are  ready  to  make  any  sacrifice  which  it  may  require  from  us. " 

"Yes,  I  will  prove  that  I  am  a  good  patriot  #s  he  was  a  good  pa- 
triot," said  Fanny,  enthusiastically.  "I  will  hate  whatever  he 
hated  ;  I  will  love  whatever  he  loved  !" 

"Amen!"  exclaimed  Marianne,  solemnly.  " And  now,  farewell, 
Fanny.  I  go  to  fulfil  the  legacy  which  Prince  von  Lichtenstein  has 
bequeathed  to  me.  He  had  taken  it  upon  himself  to  deliver  this 
letter  to  Bonaparte,  and  to  see  what  the  Bourbons  have  to  expect 
from  him,  and  whether  Bonaparte  is  a  Monk  or  a  Cromwell.  I  fear 
the  latter.  The  Bourbons  and  Lichtenstein  hoped  for  the  former. 
They  believed  he  would  be  the  Monk  of  the  restoration,  and  he  had  only 
placed  himself  so  near  the  throne  in  order  to  restore  the  latter  to  Louis 
XVIII. ,  as  Monk  had  done  in  relation  to  Charles  II.  Well,  we  shall 
see  !  I  will  go  now  and  deliver  the  letter  which  Prince  Lichtenstein 
has  intrusted  to  me.  Farewell,  Fanny,  and  remember  your  legacy  !" 

"  I  shall  remember  it  as  long  as  I  live, "  said  Fanny,  fervently. 
"  And  as  I  never  shall  forget  my  love,  I  shall  never  forget  my  father- 
land either.  Both  shall  live  indissolubly  united  in  my  heart !"  * 

*  The  history  of  Baroness  Arnstein  and  the  tragic  end  of  Prince  Charles  von 
Lichtenstein.do  not  belong  to  romance,  but  to  reality,  and  created  a  great  sensation 
at  that  time.  Every  one  in  Vienna  knew  that  love  for  Baroness  Arnstein  had  been  the 
cause  of  the  duel  and  of  the  death  of  the  Prince  von  Lichtenstein,  but  every  one  knew 
also  that  Fanny  von  Arnstein  was  not  to  blame  for  this  event ;  hence  the  sympathy 
and  compassion  felt  for  the  unhappy  lady  were  universal.  The  imperial  court  and  the 
city  took  pains  to  do  homage  to  her  and  to  manifest  their  respect  for  her.  But  Bar- 
oness Arnstein  was  not  to  be  consoled  by  such  proofs  of  public  sympathy;  the  afflic- 
tion which  had  befallen  her  was  too  terrible,  and  she  did  not  endeavor  to  conceal 
her  grief.  She  caused  the  cabinet  in  which  he  had  seen  her  on  the  day  preceding  his 
death  to  be  hung  in  black  like  a  death-room ;  all  the  souvenirs  and  every  thing  re- 
minding her  of  him  were  preserved  in  this  room.  She  spent  there  every  anniversary 
of  his  death  in  deep  mourning,  and  at  other  times  she  frequently  retired  thither  to 
pray  for  him.  Except  herself  no  one  was  ever  permitted  to  enter  this  cabinet,  con- 
secrated as  an  altar  for  the  religion  of  her  reminiscences.— Vide  Varnhageu  von 
Ease's  Miscellanies,  vol.  I,  p.  412. 


THE  FIRST  CONSUL.  321 

CHAPTER    XL. 

THE    FIRST    CONSUL. 

"THEN  you  have  seen  and  conversed  with  our  poor,  unhappy 
king?"  said  Madame  Bonaparte  to  the  beautiful  and  richly-dressed 
lady  who  was  sitting  on  the  sofa  at  her  side,  and  who  was  none 
other  than  the  Princess  Marianne  von  Eibenberg. 

"  Yes,'  madame,  I  have  often  had  the  good  fortune  to  converse 
long  with  him, "  said  the  princess,  heaving  a  sigh.  "  I  passed  a  few 
weeks  in  his  neighborhood,  and  touched  by  his  resignation,  his  un- 
faltering patience,  and  calm  greatness,  I  offered  him  my  mediation ; 
I  wished  to  be  the  messenger  whom  the  poor  unfortunate  would  send 
out  in  order  to  see  whether  the  shores  of  his  country  will  never 
again  be  visible  to  him,  and  whether  the  great  and  intrepid  pilot 
who  is  now  steering  the  ship  of  France  with  so  firm  a  hand  has  no 
room  left  for  the  poor  shipwrecked  man.  The  Count  de  Provence 
accepted  my  services  ;  he  gave  me  a  letter  which  I  was  to  deliver  to 
the  First  Consul  himself,  and  I  set  out  for  Paris  provided  with 
numerous  and  most  satisfactory  recommendations.  All  these  rec- 
ommendations, however,  were  useless ;  even  the  intercession  of 
Minister  Talleyrand  was  in  vain  ;  the  First  Consul  refused  to  grant 
me  an  audience. " 

"He  had  been  told,  perhaps,  how  beautiful  and  charming  a  mes- 
senger had  been  this  time  sent  to  him  by  the  Count  de  Provence," 
said  Josephine,  smiling,  "and  he  was,  therefore,  afraid  of  you, 
madame.  For  Bonaparte,  the  most  intrepid  hero  in  battle,  is  quite 
timid  and  bashful  in  the  presence  of  beautiful  ladies,  and  not  having 
the  strength  to  withstand  your  smiles  and  prayers,  he  evades  you 
and  refuses  to  see  you. " 

"Oh,  madame,"  exclaimed  the  princess,  quickly,  "if  the  First 
Consul  is  unable  to  resist  the  smiles  of  the  most  beautiful  lady,  I 
predict  to  you  an  even  more  brilliant  future ;  for  in  that  case  he 
will  lay  the  whole  world  at  your  feet  to  do  you  Taomage.  He  who 
has  remained  at  the  side  of  Josephine  a  hero  and  a  man  of  iron  will, 
need  not  fear  the  beauty  of  any  other  woman. " 

"  You  know  how  to  flatter, "  said  Josephine,  smiling.  "  You  for- 
get, however,  that  we  are  in  a  republic  here,  and  that  there  is  no 
court  with  courtiers  in  the  Tuileries,  but  merely  the  humble  house- 
hold of  a  citizen  and  general,  which,  I  trust,  will  soon  give  way  to 
the  splendor  of  royalty. " 

"Do  you  believe  so,  madame?"  asked  the  princess,  eagerly.  "Do 
you  believe  that  the  hopes  which  the  Count  de  Provence  has  built 


322  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

on  the  noble  and  grand  spirit  of  General  Bonaparte  are  not  illusory? 
Oh,  let  us  be  frank  and  sincere  toward  each  other,  for  I  know  you 
sympathize  with  the  sufferings  of  the  royal  family,  and  the  terrible 
misfortunes  of  the  august  exiles  find  an  echo  in  your  heart.  Hence, 
when  I  did  not  succeed  in  obtaining  an  interview  with  the  First 
Consul,  and  in  delivering  my  letter  to  him  in  person,  I  applied  to 
you,  and  the  Count  de  Provence  himself  authorized  me  to  do  so. 
'If  Bonaparte  refuses  to  hear  you, '  he  said,  'go  to  Josephine.  Bring 
her  the  greetings  of  the  Count  de  Provence  ;  remind  her  of  the  happy 
days  of  Versailles,  where,  as  Viscountess  de  Beauharnais,  she  was 
always  welcome  at  the  court  of  my  lamented  brother.  Ask  her  if 
she  still  remembers  how  often  we  joked  and  laughed  together  at 
that  time.  Ask  her  whether  my  present  misfortunes  shall  last  for- 
ever, or  whether  she,  who  holds  my  destiny  in  her  hand,  will  restore 
me  to  mirth  and  joy. '  " 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  Josephine,  bursting  into  tears,  "if  I  held  his 
destiny  in  my  hand,  he  would  not  have  to  wait  long  for  his  throne 
and  for  happiness.  I  should  be  the  first  to  jubilantly  welcome  him 
to  France,  the  first  to  joyously  leave  these  Tuileries,  this  royal 
palace,  the  grandeur  of  which  frightens  me,  and  in  the  walls  of 
which  it  always  seems  to  me  as  though  I  were  a  criminal  adorning 
herself  with  stolen  property,  and  stretching  out  her  hands  toward  the 
holy  of  holies.  And  yet  I  am  innocent  of  this  outrage ;  my  con- 
science is  clear,  and  I  am  able  to  say  that  King  Louis  XVIII.  has 
no  more  devoted,  faithful,  and  obedient  subject  than  the  wife  of 
the  First  Consul  of  France. " 

"The  king  knows  it,  and  depends  on  you,"  said  the  princess. 
"Bonaparte's  heart  is  in  your  hands;  you  alone  are  able  to  move 
it." 

"But  do  I  know,  then,  whether  he  has  yet  a  heart  or  not?"  ex- 
claimed Josephine,  passionately.  "  Do  I  know,  then,  if  he  loves  any 
thing  but  his  glory?  Man  cannot  serve  two  gods,  and  his  god  is 
glory.  He  soars  aloft  with  the  glance  of  an  eagle,  and  the  radiance 
of  the  sun  does  not  dazzle  him.  Where  will  he  finally  rest  and  build 
his  aerie  ?  I  do  not  know.  As  yet  no  rock  has  been  too  lofty  for 
him,  no  summit  too  steep  and  sufficiently  near  the  sun.  I  follow 
his  flight  with  anxious  eyes,  but  I  am  unable  to  restrain  him.  I 
can  only  pray  for  him,  for  myself,  and  for  the  unhappy  king  ;  I  can 
only  pra}'  that  the  bold  eagle  may  not  finally  conclude  that  the 
vacant  throne  will  be  an  aerie  worthy  of  himself,  and  occupy  it." 

"But  you  believe  that  he  will  do  so?"  asked  the  princess,  quickly. 

"Oh,  my  dear,"  replied  Josephine,  with  a  melancholy  smile, 
"  no  one  is  able  to  know  at  the  present  time,  nay,  even  to  conjecture, 
what  Bonaparte  will  do ;  no  one,  not  even  myself.  His  mind  is 


THE  FIRST  CONSUL.  323 

impenetrable,  and  he  only  speaks  of  what  he  has  done,  not  of  what 
he  is  going  to  do.  His  plans  lie  inscrutable  and  silent  in  his  breast, 
and  nobody  can  boast  that  he  is  aware  of  them.  He  knows  that  I 
am  a  royalist  at  heart,  and  he  often  mocks  me  for  it,  but  more  fre- 
quently he  is  angry  with  me  on  this  account.  Since  the  French 
people  have  elected  him  First  Consul  for  life,  I  see  him  tremble  and 
frown  whenever  I  dare  to  mention  our  exiled  king,  and  to  call  him 
our  master.  He  has  strictly  ordered  me  to  receive  no  stranger  unless 
he  has  given  me  permission  to  do  so,  and  all  friends  of  mine,  whom 
he  knew  to  be  enthusiastic  royalists,  have  already  been  banished  by 
him.  I  must  feign  to  forget  all  I  owe  to  friendship  and  gratitude, 
and  yet  all  those  cherished  reminiscences  will  never  be  effaced  from 
my  heart.  But  I  must  obey  my  master ;  for  Bonaparte  is  no  longer 
only  my  husband,  but  he  is  also  my  master.  Thus  impeded  in  all 
her  inclinations,  the  wife  of  the  First  Consul  must  swallow  her 
grief  and  seem  ungrateful,  although  she  is  not.  State  it  to  those 
who  believe  my  fate  to  be  an  enviable  one  ;  state  it  to  the  Count  de 
Provence,  who  deems  my  influence  greater  than  it  really  is.  He  is, 
and  always  remains  for  me,  the  legitimate  king  of  France,  and  I 
call  God  to  witness  that  I  do  not  long  for  the  crown  which  is  his 
legitimate  property.  I  call  God  to  witness  that  I  have  improved 
every  opportunity  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  Count  de  Provence, 
and  that  I  have  always  taken  pains  to  remind  Bonaparte  of  his  duty 
to  his  legitimate  king.  But  my  success  has  been  insignificant,  and 
to-day  for  the  first  time  since  a  long  while  I  dare  again  to  entertain 
a  glimmer  of  hope.  Bonaparte  knew  that  I  wanted  to  receive  you 
to-day,  and  he  did  not  forbid  it,  although  he  had  already  been  in- 
formed that  the  Princess  von  Eibenberg  was  highly  esteemed  as  a 
devoted  friend  at  the  court  of  Coblentz,  that  she  had  made  a  journey 
to  Mitau  for  the  express  purpose  of  seeing  the  Count  de  Provence, 
that  she  had  been  sent  by  the  latter  with  letters  and  messages  to 
Paris,  and  that  the  Duke  d'Enghien,  who  some  time  ago  had  secretly 
been  at  Vienna,  had  been  every  day  at  your  house. " 

"What !  The  First  Consul  is  aware  of  all  that?"  asked  Marianne, 
wonderingly. 

"His  spies  serve  him  well,"  said  Josephine,  heaving  a  sigh, 
"and  Bonaparte  has  got  spies  everywhere,  even  here  in  the  Tuileries, 
here  in  my  own  rooms — and  I  should  not  wonder  if  he  should  learn 
even  within  the  next  quarter  of  an  hour  what  we  have  conversed 
about  here,  although  it  may  have  seemed  to  us  as  though  we  were 
alone. " 

"  But  if  the  First  Consul  learns  that  the  Count  de  Provence  wants 
to  avail  himself  of  my  services  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  his  in- 
terests here  in  Paris,  and  if  he  has,  nevertheless,  permitted  you  to 


324  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

receive  me,  it  seems  to  me  a  favorable  symptom, "  said  Marianne 
Eibenberg,  musingly. 

"  Of  course,  he  has  some  object  in  view  in  permitting  it, "  replied 
Josephine,  sighing,  "but  who  knows  what?  I  am  unable  to  fathom 
his  intentions ;  I  content  myself  with  loving  him,  admiring  him, 
and  endeavoring  cautiously  to  lead  him  back  to  the  path  of  duty. 
But  hush  !"  she  interrupted  herself  all  at  once,  "  I  hear  steps  in  the 
small  corridor.  It  is  Bonaparte !  He  comes  hither.  He  will  see 
that  I  have  wept,  and  he  will  be  angry  with  me  !" 

And  after  breathing  into  her  handkerchief  in  anxious  haste, 
Josephine  pressed  it  against  her  eyes,  and  whispered  tremblingly, 
"Can  it  be  seen  that  I  have  wept?" 

Marianne  was  about  replying  to  her,  when  quick  steps  were  heard 
in  the  adjoining  room.  "He  is  coming,"  whispered  Josephine,  and 
she  rose  from  the  sofa  for  the  purpose  of  going  to  meet  her  husband. 

He  just  opened  the  door  by  a  quick  pressure  of  his  hand  and 
appeared  on  the  threshold.  His  eyes  swept  with  a  quick  glance 
over  the  room  and  seemed  to  pierce  every  corner ;  a  slight  cloud 
covered  his  expansive  marble  forehead ;  his  thin  lips  were  firmly 
compressed,  and  did  not  show  the  faintest  tinge  of  a  smile. 

"Ah,  I  did  not  know  that  there  was  a  visitor  with  you,  Jose- 
phine, "  he  said,  bowing  to  Marianne,  who  returned  his  salutation 
by  a  deep  and  reverential  obeisance,  and  then  fixed  her  large  dark 
eyes  upon  him  with  an  air  of  admiration. 

"My  friend,"  said  Josephine,  with  a  fascinating  smile,  "the 
Princess  von  Eibenberg  has  been  recommended  to  me  by  persons  of 
the  highest  distinction,  and  I  confess  that  I  am  very  grateful  to 
those  who  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  this 
beautiful  and  agreeable  lady.  It  is  true,  I  hear  that  the  princess  is 
a  native  of  Germany,  but  she  has  got  the  heart  of  a  Frenchwoman, 
and  speaks  our  language  better  than  many  of  the  ladies  whom  I  hear 
here  in  the  Tuileries. " 

"Ah,  she  doubtless  speaks  that  language  of  ancient  France, 
which  always  pleases  you  so  well, "  exclaimed  Bonaparte  ;  and  now 
there  appeared  on  his  finely  formed  lips  a  smile,  illuminating  and 
beautifying  his  face  like  sunshine.  "  I  suppose,  madame, "  he  said, 
suddenly  turning  to  Marianne,  "  you  have  come  hither  in  order  to 
bring  to  my  dear  Josephine  greetings  from  a  cavalier  of  that  ancient 
France  which  has  forever  fallen  to  ruins?" 

"No,  general,"  said  Marianne,  whose  radiant  eyes  were  con- 
stantly and  fearlessly  fixed  on  Bonaparte — "  no,  general,  I  have  come 
hither  in  order  to  admire  the  New  France,  and  never  shall  I  be  able 
to  thank  Madame  Bonaparte  sufficiently  for  the  happiness  she  has 


THE  FIRST  CONSUL.  325 

procured  me  at  this  moment.  It  is  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I 
have  been  able  to  see  a  great  man,  a  hero  !" 

"And  yet  you  were  in  London  and  Mitau  and  there  saw  the 
Counts  d'Artois  and  Provence,"  replied  Bonaparte,  sitting  down  in 
an  arm-chair  by  Marianne's  side,  and  requesting  the  ladies  by  a 
wave  of  his  hand  to  resume  their  seats  on  the  sofa. 

"  And  in  London,  in  Mitau,  in  Coblentz,  everywhere  they  admire 
the  hero  who  has  risen  like  a  new  sun  with  the  young  century  !"  said 
Marianne,  with  irresistible  grace. 

"Those  gentlemen  of  ancient  France  spoke  of  me,  then?"  asked 
Bonaparte.  "You  see,  madame,  I  speak  without  circumlocution. 
I  am  nothing  but  a  good  soldier,  and  always  strike  directly  at  my 
aim.  I  have  been  told  that  you  have  come  hither  as  an  emissary  of 
the  Bourbons,  and  I  confess  to  you  that  to-day  for  the  first  time  I 
feel  grateful  to  those  gentlemen,  for  they  have  made  a  very  beauti- 
ful selection.  The  emissaries  sent  hither  heretofore  were  less  beau- 
tiful and  less  amiable.  Those  Bourbons  know  the  foibles  of  the  male 
heart  better  than  anybody  else,  and  they  want  to  fascinate  me  in 
order  to  seduce  me  afterward  the  more  surely. " 

"  Pardon  me,  general,  they  were  not  so  bold  as  that, "  said  the 
princess,  smiling.  "  Let  me  say  that  I  am  not  gifted  with  the  magic 
power  of  Armida,  nor  are  you  with  the  sentimental  weakness  of 
Rinaldo. " 

"You  do  not  deem  me  worthy  to  be  compared  with  Rinaldo?" 
asked  Bonaparte,  casting  so  glowing  a  glance  on  the  fair  emissary 
that  Josephine  almost  regretted  having  brought  this  fascinating 
beauty  in  contact  with  her  husband. 

"  I  do  not  deem  Rinaldo  worthy  to  be  compared  with  Bonaparte, " 
said  the  princess,  with  a  charming  smile.  "  Rinaldo  did  not  con- 
quer any  countries  ;  he  did  not  cross  the  bridge  of  Arcole,  holding 
aloft  the  waving  colors  ;  he  did  not  see  the  pyramids  of  Egypt ;  he 
did  not  conquer  at  Marengo  !" 

"Ah,  madame,  you  seem  to  have  a  good  memory,"  exclaimed 
Bonaparte,  merrily,  "and  you  do  not  only  know  ancient  France, 
but  are  also  quite  familiar  with  her  recent  history." 

"General,  it  is  owing  to  you  that  the  history  of  France  is  that  of 
the  whole  world,  and  that  the  victories  of  France  signify  the  defeat 
of  the  remainder  of  Europe.  But  you  have  brought  about  an  even 
greater  miracle,  for  those  whom  you  have  vanquished  do  not  hate 
you  for  it,  but  they  admire  you,  and  while  cursing  their  own  mis- 
fortune, they  are  astonished  at  your  heroism  and  surpassing  great- 
ness as  a  military  chieftain.  There  is  no  one  who  does  not  share 
this  feeling  of  admiration,  and  there  is  no  one  who  entertains  it  in 


326  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

a  livelier  manner  than  the  two  men  who  have  reason  to  complain 
most  of  France,  and  who  do  so  least !" 

"  Ah,  you  skilfully  return  to  the  charge, "  exclaimed  Bonaparte, 
smiling.  "  You  would  make  a  good  general :  you  make  a  short  cut 
on  the  field  of  flattery  -and  so  reach  the  more  rapidly  the  straight 
road  on  which  you  want  to  meet  the  Counts  de  Provence  and  Artois 
in  order  to  praise  them  before  me. " 

"No,  Bonaparte,"  said  Josephine,  hastily,  "the  princess,  on  the 
contrary,  wishes  to  tell  you  how  those  gentlemen  praise  you,  and 
with  how  much  admiration  they  speak  of  you. — Oh,  pray,  madame, 
repeat  to  Bonaparte  what  the  Count  d' Artois  told  you  the  other  day, 
and  mention  the  honors  and  distinctions  he  would  like  to  confer  on 
my  husband. " 

"  Well,  I  should  really  like  to  know  the  honors  and  distinctions 
•which  that  little  emigre,  M.  de  Bourbon,  is  able  to  confer  on  the 
First  Consul  of  France,"  said  Bonaparte,  with  a  sarcastic  smile. 
"Tell  me,  madame,  what  did  the  Count  d' Artois  say,  and  what  that 
statement  of  yours  is  that  has  filled  the  ambitious  heart  of  Madame 
Bonaparte  with  so  much  delight?" 

"Oh,  you  want  to  mock  me,  my  friend,"  said  Josephine,  re- 
proachfully. 

"  By  no  means,  I  am  in  dead  earnest,  and  should  like  to  know 
what  the  pretenders  did  say  about  me.  State  to  us,  then,  madame, 
with  your  seductive  voice,  the  tempting  promises  of  the  Bour- 
bons. " 

"  General,  there  was  no  talk  of  promises,  but  of  the  admiration 
the  Count  d' Artois  felt  for  you,"  said  Marianne,  almost  timidly, 
and  with  downcast  eyes.  "  We  conversed  about  politics  in  general, 
and  Madame  de  Guiche,  in  her  charming  innocence,  took  the  liberty 
to  ask  the  Count  d' Artois  how  the  First  Consul  of  France  might  be 
rewarded  in  case  he  should  restore  the  Bourbons. " 

"Ah,  you  conversed  about  this  favorite  theme  of  the  emigres, 
about  the  restoration  question  1"  said  Bonaparte,  shrugging  his 
shoulders.  "  And  what  did  the  prince  reply  ?" 

"The  Count  d 'Artois  replied  :  'In  the  first  place,  we  should  ap- 
point the  first  consul  Coniietable  of  France,  if  that  would  be  agree- 
able to  him.  But  we  should  not  believe  that  that  would  be  a  suffi- 
cient reward  ;  we  should  erect  on  the  Place  du  Carrousel  a  lofty  and 
fiaagnificent  column  to  be  surmounted  by  a  statue  of  Bonaparte 
crowning  the  Bourbons  !'"  * 

"Is  not  that  a  beautiful  and  sublime  idea?"  exclaimed  Josephine, 
joyfully,  while  the  princess  searchingly  fixed  her  eyes  on  Bonaparte's 
face. 

*  Las  Cases,  "  Memorial  de  Sainte-Helene,"  vol.  i.,  p.  337. 


THE  FIRST  CONSUL.  327 

"Yes,"  he  said,  calmly,  "  it  is  a  very  sublime  idea ;  but  what  did 
you  reply,  Josephine,  when  this  was  communicated  to  you?" 

"What  did  I  reply?"  asked  Josephine.  "Good  Heaven!  what 
should  I  have  replied  ?" 

"  Well, "  said  Bonaparte,  whose  face  now  assumed  a  grave,  stern 
expression,  "  you  might  have  replied,  for  instance,  that  the  pedestal 
of  this  beautiful  column  would  have  to  be  the  corpse  of  the  First 
Consul."* 

"Oh,  Bonaparte,  what  a  dreadful  idea  that  is  !"  exclaimed  Jose- 
phine, in  dismay — "dreadful  and  withal  untrue,  for  did  not  the 
Count  d'Artois  say  the  Bourbons  would  appoint  you  Connetable  of 
France?" 

"  Yes,  just  as  Charles  II.  of  England  conferred  the  title  of  duke 
on  Monk.  I  am  no  Monk,  nor  am  I  a  Cromwell.  I  have  not  injured 
a  single  hair  on  the  head  of  the  Bourbons,  and  my  hand  has  not  been 
stained  by  a  drop  of  the  blood  of  the  unfortunate  king  who  had  to 
atone  for  the  sins  of  his  predecessors.  He  had  ruined  France,  I  saved 
her ;  and  the  example  of  Monk  teaches  me  to  be  cautious,  for  the 
English  people  had  confided  in  him,  and  he  gave  them  a  king  who 
made  them  unhappy  and  oppressed  them  for  twenty  years,  and 
finally  caused  a  new  revolution  ;  I  want  to  preserve  France  from  the 
horrors  of  a  new  revolution,  hence  I  do  not  want  to  become  another 
Monk. " 

"And  who  should  dare  to  compare  you  with  Monk  or  Cromwell, 
general?"  exclaimed  Marianne.  "If  there  is  a  man  worthy  to  be 
compared  with  the  first  consul  of  France,  it  is  only  the  great  Wash- 
ington, the  liberator  of  America. " 

"  Ah,  you  think  so  because  we  are  both  presiding  over  a  republic, " 
replied  Bonaparte,  with  a  sarcastic  smile.  "As  I  do  not  want  to  be 
a  Monk,  it  is  hoped  that  I  shall  be  a  Washington.  Words  cost 
nothing,  and  those  who  utter  them  so  easily  do  not  consider  whether 
the  circumstances  of  the  two  nations,  the  time  and  occasion  may  be 
as  well  compared  with  each  other  as  those  two  names.  If  I  were  in 
America,  it  would  be  my  highest  glory  to  be  another  Washington, 
and  I  should  deserve  but  little  credit  for  it,  after  all,  for  I  do  not 
see  how  one  could  reasonably  pursue  there  any  other  course.  But  if 
Washington  had  been  in  France,  with  its  convulsions  within  and 
an  invasion  from  abroad,  I  should  not  have  deemed  it  advisable  for 
him  to  be  himself ;  if  he  had  insisted  upon  remaining  himself,  he 
would  have  been  an  idol,  and  only  prolonged  the  misfortunes  of 
France  instead  of  saving  the  country. " 

"You  confess,  then,  that  France  ought  not  to  remain  a  republic?" 
asked  Josephine,  joyfully.     "You  want  to  restore  the  monarchy?" 
*  Bonaparte's  own  words.— Ibid.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  337. 


328  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  Wait  for  the  things  to  come, "  said  Bonaparte,  gravely.  "  To 
ask  me  prematurely  to  do  things  incompatible  with  the  present  state 
of  affairs  would  be  foolish  ;  if  I  should  announce  or  promise  them  it 
would  look  like  charlatanry  and  boasting,  and  I  am  not  addicted  to 
either." 

"  But  you  give  us  hopes,  at  least,  that  you  will  do  so  one  day, 
when  the  time  has  come,  I  suppose,  my  friend?"  said  Josephine, 
tenderly.  "  You  will  not  let  this  beautiful  lady  depart  from  Paris 
without  a  kind  and  comforting  reply?  She  will  not  have  entered 
the  Tuileries,  the  house  of  the  kings,  in  order  to  be  obliged  to  inform 
on  her  return  those  to  whom  it  justly  belongs  that  there  is  no  longer 
any  room  for  them  under  the  roof  which  their  fathers  have  built. 
I  am  sure,  Bonaparte,  you  will  not  send  such  a  reply  to  the  legiti- 
mate King  of  France  from  his  oivn  rooms. " 

Josephine,  glowing  with  excitement,  had  risen  from  her  seat ; 
stepping  close  up  to  Bonaparte,  she  encircled  his  neck  with  her 
beautiful  arms,  and  laid  her  charming  head  on  his  shoulder. 

"Oh,  Josephine,  what  are  you  doing?"  ejaculated  Bonaparte, 
angrily.  "  Will  not  the  princess  tell  the  Count  de  Provence  that  the 
Tuileries  are  now  inhabited  by  a  downright  bourgeois  and  hen- 
pecked husband,  who  treats  his  wife  sentimentally  even  in  the 
presence  of  other  persons,  and  in  return  for  her  caresses  has  always 
to  comply  with  her  wishes?  And  shall  we  not  be  laughed  at,  my 
child?" 

"  I  should  like  to  see  the  Titan  who  would  dare  to  laugh  at  the 
First  Consul !"  exclaimed  Marianne,  eagerly.  "  You  would  do  like 
Jove ;  you  would  hurl  down  the  audacious  scoffer  into  the  abyss 
with  a  flash  from  your  eyes. " 

Bonaparte  fixed  so  long  and  glowing  a  look  on  the  princess  that 
Marianne  blushed,  while  the  jealous  heart  of  Josephine  began  to 
ache. 

"  Bonaparte,  state  the  reply  you  are  going  to  make  to  the  Count 
de  Provence, "  she  said,  anxious  to  withdraw  his  attention  from  the 
contemplation  of  this  fascinating  beauty. 

"  A  reply?"  asked  Bonaparte.     "  What  shall  I  reply  to?" 

"General,  to  this  letter,  which  the  Count  de  Provence  has  in- 
trusted to  me,  and  which  I  have  solemnly  pledged  myself  to  deliver 
to  you  personally,"  said  Marianne,  handing  Bonaparte  a  sealed 
paper,  with  an  imploring  glance. 

Bonaparte  did  not  take  it  at  once,  but  looked  sternly  at  the  two 
ladies  who  stood  before  him,  turning  their  beautiful  and  deeply 
moved  faces  toward  him  with  an  air  of  supplication. 

"It  is  a  perfect  conspiracy,  then,  ladies?  A  complete  surprise  of 
the  fortress?"  he  asked.  "You  want  to  compel  me  forcibly  to  open 


THE  FIRST  CONSUL.  329 

the  gates  of  my  eyes  to  you?  Do  you  not  know,  then,  Josephine, 
that  I  have  sworn  not  to  accept  any  letters  from  the  Pretender,  in 
order  not  to  be  obliged  to  make  a  harsh  reply  to  him  ?" 

"  Keep  your  oath,  then, "  said  Josephine,  smiling ;  "  do  not  accept 
the  letter,  but  permit  me  to  do  so,  and  let  me  read  the  contents  of  the 
letter  to  you. " 

"Oh,  women,  women!"  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  smiling.  "They 
are  born  sophists,  and  I  believe  they  would  be  able  to  outwit  the 
devil  himself !  Well,  I  will  comply  with  your  request ;  take  the 
letter  and  read  it  to  me. " 

Josephine  uttered  a  joyful  cry,  and  took  the  letter  from  Mari- 
anne's hands.  While  she  broke  the  seal  and  unfolded  the  paper, 
Bonaparte  had  risen  from  his  arm-chair,  and  commenced  slowly 
pacing  the  room.  He  knew,  perhaps,  that  Marianne's  eyes  were 
fixed  upon  him  with  a  searching  expression,  and  her  glances  were 
disagreeable  to  him. 

Josephine  read  as  follows  : 

"Men  like  you,  sir,  never  inspire  suspicion  and  uneasiness, 
whatever  their  conduct  may  be.  You  have  accepted  the  exalted 
position  which  the  French  people  offered  to  you,  and  I  am  grateful 
to  you  for  so  doing.  You  know  better  than  anybody  else  how  much 
strength  and  power  are  required  to  secure  the  happiness  of  a  great 
nation.  Save  France  from  her  own  fury,  and  you  will  have  fulfilled 
the  foremost  and  greatest  desire  of  my  heart ;  restore  her  king  to 
her,  and  future  generations  will  bless  your  memory.  But  you  hesi- 
tate very  long  to  give  my  throne  back  to  me,  and  I  almost  fear  you 
will  allow  the  opportunity  to  pass  by  unimproved.  Hasten,  there- 
fore, and  designate  the  positions  you  desire  for  yourself  and  for  your 
friends.  You  will  always  be  too  indispensable  to  the  state  for  me 
ever  to  be  able  to  discharge  the  obligations  of  my  ancestors  and  my 
own,  even  by  means  of  the  most  influential  positions.  My  char- 
acter, as  well  as  motives  of  sound  policy,  will  induce  me  to  pursue 
a  liberal  course.  We  are  able  to  secure  the  happiness  of  France.  I 
say  we,  for  you  cannot  secure  the  happiness  of  France  without  me, 
and  I  cannot  do  any  thing  for  France  without  you.  General,  Europe 
has  fixed  her  eyes  on  you,  and  immortal  glory  awaits  you. "  * 

"Always  the  same  strain,"  muttered  Bonaparte,  "always  the 
story  of  the  column  surmounted  by  the  statue  of  the  First  Consul 
crowning  the  Bourbons,  while  his  bleeding  corpse  is  to  be  the  foun- 
dation of  the  column !" 

"  He  is  reflecting, "  whispered  Josephine  to  the  princess.     "  That 
shows,  at  least,  that  he  has  not  yet  made  up  his  mind  to  reject  the 
offer  of  the  Count  de  Provence. " 
*  This  letter  is  historical.— Vide  "  M6moires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  vii.,  p.  393. 


330  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

At  this  moment  Bonaparte  turned  toward  the  two  ladies  and  ap- 
proached them  rapidly. 

"  Are  you  authorized  to  receive  my  reply?"  he  asked,  turning  his 
gloomy  eyes  toward  the  princess. 

"  I  shall  feel  happy  and  honored  by  any  message  you  may  be 
pleased  to  intrust  to  me, "  said  Marianne. 

Bonaparte  nodded  to  her. 

"  Will  you  permit  me  to  write  a  letter  here,  Josephine  ?"  he  asked. 

Instead  of  making  a  reply,  Josephine  hastened  to  her  desk,  in 
order  to  take  out  some  paper,  to  draw  a  chair  to  the  table,  and  then 
to  hand  the  pen  to  Bonaparte,  with  a  fascinating  smile.  When  he 
commenced  writing,  she  supported  herself  in  breathless  suspense  on 
the  back  of  his  arm-chair  and  looked  over  the  Consul's  shoulder, 
while  the  Princess  von  Eibenberg,  standing  not  far  from  them, 
looked  at  both  with  sparkling  eyes. 

Bonaparte  hastily  wrote  a  few  lines,  threw  the  pen  aside,  and 
turning  around  to  Josephine,  he  handed  her  the  letter. 

"There,  read  it,"  he  said,  "and  read  it  aloud,  so  that  the  beauti- 
ful emissary  of  your  M.  de  Bourbon  may  learn  my  reply,  and  know 
the  contents  of  the  message  she  is  to  deliver  to  him. " 

Josephine  took  the  paper,  and  read,  in  a  tremulous  voice,  fre- 
quently interrupted  by  her  sighs  : 

"  I  have  received  the  letter  of  your  royal  highness ;  I  have  con- 
stantly felt  a  lively  sympathy  for  you  and  for  the  misfortunes  of 
your  family.  But  your  royal  highness  must  not  think  of  coming  to 
France ;  you  would  have  to  pass  over  a  hundred  thousand  corpses 
before  reaching  it.  In  other  respects,  I  shall  constantly  take  pains 
to  do  whatever  will  be  calculated  to  alleviate  your  condition  and  to 
make  you  forget  your  misfortunes. " 

"Well,  Josephine,  you  are  silent?"  asked  Bonaparte,  when  she 
ceased  reading.  "You  are  dissatisfied  with  my  letter?  And  you, 
too,  madame,  have  a  dark  shadow  on  your  beautiful  face !  How 
could  you  expect  another  answer  from  me  ?" 

"General,  I  believe  the  royal  princes  really  hoped  for  another 
answer, "  said  Marianne,  heaving  a  sigh. 

"And  what  justified  such  a  hope?"  asked  Bonaparte,  sternly 
"What  have  I  done  to  give  rise  to  such  chimeras?" 

"  General,  the  favorable  answer  you  gave  to  Prussia — " 

"Ah!"  said  Bonaparte,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  "the  wind  is 
blowing  in  that  direction,  then?  Prussia  asked  me  if  she  would 
cause  us  any  trouble  by  tolerating  the  French  princes  within  her 
boundaries.  I  replied  in  the  negative ;  and  when  Prussia  went 
further  and  asked  whether  we  should  feel  offended  or  not,  if  she  paid 
an  annual  pension  to  the  Bourbons,  I  permitted  even  that  on  condi- 


THE  FIRST  CONSUL.  331 

tion  that  the  princes  remained  quiet  and  did  not  carry  on  any 
intrigues.  They  believed,  then,  that  because  I  suffered  distressed 
persons  to  be  relieved  and  an  asylum  to  be  granted  to  the  homeless, 
I  should  be  ready,  also,  to  make  the  beggars  masters  again,  and  to 
lay  France  at  the  feet  of  the  exiles !" 

"Bonaparte,  your  words  are  very  harsh  and  very  unjust,"  ex- 
claimed Josephine,  sadly. 

"They  may  be  harsh,  but  they  are  true,"  he  said,  sternly.  "I 
will  not  permit  them  to  entertain  any  illusions  concerning  myself ; 
hence  I  have  spoken  so  long  and  plainly.  It  would  be  harsh  and 
cruel  to  hold  out  hopes  to  the  Bourbons  which  I  shall  never  fulfil. 
France  is  lost  to  them,  and  they  will  never  recover  her.  State  that 
to  the  princes  who  have  sent  you  to  me,  madame.  Let  the  Bourbons 
be  on  their  guard,  for  France  is  wide  awake  and  keeps  her  eyes  and 
ears  open.  I  am  willing  to  forgive  that  little  Duke  d'Enghien  for 
not  considering  me  a  great  general,  and  for  criticising  my  exploits, 
but  I  should  neither  forgive  him  nor  either  of  his  uncles  in  case 
they  should  try  to  trouble  France  with  their  senseless  schemes.  I 
know  that  the  Bourbons  have  long  been  trying  to  find  means  and 
ways  to  reconquer  the  sceptre  of  St.  Louis.  So  long  as  their  schemes 
are  floating  in  the  air  like  cobwebs,  I  forgive  them ;  but  if  they 
intend  to  act,  let  them  weigh  the  consequences  !  He  who  menaces 
France  is  a  traitor,  whatever  may  be  his  name,  and  traitors  will  be 
punished  to  the  full  extent  of  the  law.  State  that  to  the  Bourbons, 
madame;  state  it  especially  to  the  Duke  d'Enghien.  And  now  be 
kind  enough  to  deliver  my  reply  to  the  Count  de  Provence.  When 
do  you  intend  to  start?" 

"  In  a  few  days,  general. " 

"  Oh,  that  will  not  do.  That  poor  Count  de  Provence  will  be 
eager  to  get  a  reply, "  said  Bonaparte,  "  and  it  would  be  very  cruel 
not  to  transmit  it  to  him  as  soon  as  possible.  You  especially  will 
not  wish  to  make  him  wait,  and  I  therefore  advise  you  to  set  out  to- 
day, within  the  next  hour  !  I  shall  issue  orders  that  horses  be  kept 
in  readiness  for  you ;  and  in  order  that  you  may  not  be  detained 
anywhere,  I  shall  instruct  two  officers  to  escort  you  to  the  frontier. 
Hasten,  therefore,  madame;  in  half  an  hour  everything  will  be 
ready  for  your  departure. " 

He  nodded  to  her,  and  left  the  room. 

The  two  ladies  were  alone  again  and  looked  at  each  other  with 
mournful  eyes.  Marianne's  face  was  pale  ;  a  gloomy  fire  was  burn- 
ing in  her  eyes,  and  a  contemptuous  smile  was  visible  on  her  lips. 
Josephine  seemed  greatly  embarrassed,  and  her  gentle  eyes  were 
filled  with  tears. 

"I  am  to  be  transported  beyond  the  frontier  like  a  criminal!" 
MUULBACH — 0  VOL.  7 


332  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

ejaculated  Marianne  at  last,  in  a  voice  trembling  with  anger.  "  I 
am  to  be  treated  like  a  dangerous  intriguer,  and  yet  I  have  only  de- 
livered a  letter  which  had  been  intrusted  to  me  by  the  king. " 

"Forgive  him,"  said  Josephine,  imploringly.  "He  has  been 
prejudiced  against  you,  and  the  numerous  plots  and  conspiracies, 
which  have  already  been  discovered,  cause  him  to  deem  rigorous 
precautions  altogether  indispensable.  But  I  beg  you  especially  not 
to  be  angry  with  me,  and  pray  beseech  the  Count  de  Provence  not  to 
hold  me  responsible  for  the  deplorable  message  you  are  to  deliver  to 
him.  I  have  opened  my  heart  to  you,  and  you  know  it  to  be  filled 
with  the  most  faithful  devotion  and  with  the  most  reverential  affec- 
tion for  the  unfortunate  prince,  but  I  am  not  strong  enough  to 
change  his  fate  ;  I — " 

Just  then  the  door  opened  ;  M.  de  Bourrienne,  chief  of  the  cabinet 
of  the  First  Consul,  made  his  appearance  and  approached  the  prin- 
cess with  a  respectful  bow. 

"  Madame, "  he  said,  "  the  First  Consul  sends  you  word  that  every 
thing  is  ready  for  your  departure,  and  he  has  instructed  me  to  con- 
duct you  to  your  carriage. " 

Josephine  uttered  a  groan,  and,  sinking  down  on  a  chair,  she 
covered  her  face  with  her  handkerchief  in  order  to  conceal  her  tears. 

Marianne  had  now  recovered  her  proud  and  calm  bearing,  and  a 
bold  and  defiant  smile  played  again  on  her  lips.  She  approached 
Josephine  with  soft  and  quiet  steps. 

"  Farewell,  madame, "  she  said.  "  I  shall  faithfully  report  to  the 
Count  de  Provence  every  thing  I  have  seen  and  heard  here,  and  he 
will  venerate  and  pity  you  as  I  shall  always  do.  May  the  First 
Consul  never  regret  what  he  is  doing  now,  and  may  he  not  be  obliged 
one  day  to  leave  France  in  the  same  manner  as  he  compels  me  to 
depart  from  Paris !  Come,  sir,  accompany  me,  as  it  cannot  be 
helped !" 

And  drawing  herself  up  to  her. full  height  and  as  proud  as  a 
queen,  Marianne,  princess  of  Eibenberg,  walked  toward  the  door. 

Josephine  followed  her  with  her  tearful  eyes,  which  she  then 
raised  to  heaven.  "  Oh,  my  God,  my  God, "  she  whispered,  "  ordain 
it  in  Thy  mercy  that  my  worst  forebodings  may  not  be  fulfilled ! 
Guide  Bonaparte's  heart  and  prevent  him  from  going  on  in  his  am- 
bition, from  stretching  out  his  hand  for  the  crown  of  the  Bourbons, 
and  from  staining  his  glory  with  the  blood  of — Oh,  Thou  knowest 
my  fears ;  Thou  knowest  what  I  mean,  and  what  my  lips  dare  not 
utter.  Protect  Bonaparte,  and  guide  his  heart  1" 


TWO  GERMAN  SAVANTa  333 

CHAPTER    XLI. 

TWO    GERMAN    SAVANTS. 

A  POST-CHAISE,  drawn  by  four  horses,  had  just  driven  up  to  the 
hotel  of  The  German  Emperor,  the  first  and  most  renowned  inn  in 
the  city  of  Frankfort-on-the-Main.  The  porter  rang  the  door- bell  as 
loudly  and  impetuously  as  he  only  used  to  do  on  the  arrival  of  aris- 
tocratic and  wealthy  guests.  Hence  the  waiters  rushed  to  the  door 
in  the  greatest  haste,  and  even  the  portly  and  well-dressed  landlord 
did  not  deem  it  derogatory  to  his  dignity  to  leave  the  dining-room, 
for  the  purpose  of  welcoming  the  stranger  in  the  post-chaise,  drawn 
by  the  four  horses. 

In  this  post-chaise  he  perceived  a  gentleman  of  prepossessing  and 
jovial  appearance,  and  with  a  handsome  and  tolerably  youthful  face. 
His  large  blue  eyes  looked  gayly  and  boldly  into  the  world  ;  a  genial 
smile  was  playing  on  his  broad  and  rather  sensual-looking  lips  ;  and 
his  voice  was  clear,  strong,  and  sonorous. 

"  May  I  find  here  with  you  comfortable  rooms,  and,  above  all,  a 
good  supper?"  he  asked  the  landlord,  who,  pushing  aside  his  waiters 
and  the  stranger's  footman,  stepped  up  to  the  carriage,  in  order  to 
open  the  door. 

"  Sir, "  replied  the  landlord,  proudly,  "  The  German  Emperor  is 
noted  for  its  good  rooms  and  excellent  table  !" 

The  stranger  laughed  merrily.  "  Truly, "  he  said,  gayly,  "  these 
are  splendid  prospects  for  Germany.  If  The  German  Emperor 
furnishes  good  rooms  and  an  excellent  table,  I  am  sure  Germany 
would  be  unreasonable  to  ask  for  any  thing  else !  Well,  my  dear 
landlord,  give  me,  then,  good  rooms  and  a  supper." 

"Do  you  want  rooms  on  the  first  or  on  the  second  floor?"  asked 
the  landlord,  respectfully  walking  behind  the  stranger,  who  had 
just  entered  the  hall. 

"  Of  course,  on  the  first  floor  ;  Heaven  forbid  that  I  should  have 
to  climb  two  flights  of  stairs  !"  replied  the  stranger.  "I  like  to  live 
in  comfortable  and  elegant  rooms.  Give  me,  therefore,  three  fine 
rooms  on  the  first  floor. " 

"  Three  rooms !"  said  the  landlord,  hesitatingly.  "  I  must  observe 
to  you,  sir,  that  all  the  rooms  on  the  first  floor  have  been  reserved 
for  the  Duke  of  Baden,  who  will  arrive  here  to-morrow  or  day  after 
to-morrow,  and  stop  at  The  German  Emperor,  like  all  princes  com- 
ing to  our  city.  I  do  not  know  if  I  can  spare  three  rooms. " 

"  Oh,  you  surely  can,  as  the  duke  will  only  arrive  to-morrow  or 
day  after  to-morrow,  while  I  am  here  to-day, "  said  the  stranger. 


334  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"Give  me  the  rooms  you  had  intended  for  the  duke ;  then  I  shall  be 
sure  to  get  good  ones,  and  I  shall  take  them  at  the  same  price  you 
will  charge  him. " 

The  landlord  bowed  respectfully,  and  snatched  the  silver  candle- 
stick from  the  hand  of  the  head -waiter,  in  order  to  have  the  honor 
of  conducting  the  stranger  up-stairs  to  his  rooms.  The  waiters,  who 
had  stood  on  both  sides  of  the  hall  in  respectful  silence,  now  hastily 
rushed  toward  the  post-chaise,  in  order  to  assist  the  stranger's  foot- 
man in  unloading  the  trunks  and  packages  belonging  to  his  master. 

"  As  far  as  the  supper  is  concerned,  pray  imagine  I  were  the  ex- 
pected Duke  of  Baden,  and  make  your  arrangements  accordingly, " 
said  the  stranger,  ascending  the  staircase.  "  I  particularly  enjoy  a 
good  supper.  If  you  have  any  pheasants  to  serve  up  to  me,  I  shall 
be  content  with  them ;  only  see  to  it  that  they  be  well  larded  with 
truffles." 

And  his  voice  died  away  in  the  large  corridor  which  he  was  now 
walking  down,  preceded  by  the  landlord,  in  order  to  take  possession 
of  the  best  rooms  in  the  hotel. 

The  waiters  were  engaged  in  unloading  the  trunks,  and  improved 
this  opportunity  to  inquire  of  the  stranger's  footman,  clad  in  a  rich 
livery,  the  rank,  name,  and  title  of  his  master. 

He  told  them  the  gentleman  had  just  arrived  from  London,  where 
he  had  been  living  for  a  year ;  he  was  now  on  his  way  to  Vienna, 
and  would  leave  Frankfort  on  the  following  day. 

"This  trunk  is  very  heavy, "  said  one  of  the  waiters,  vainly  trying 
to  lift  from  the  carriage  a  small  trunk,  mounted  with  strips  of  brass, 
and  covered  with  yellow  nails. 

"I  should  think  so,"  said  the  footman,  proudly.  "This  trunk 
contains  my  master's  money  and  jewelry.  There  are  at  least  twelve 
gold  watches,  set  with  diamonds,  and  as  many  snuff-boxes.  The 
Queen  of  England  sent  to  my  master  on  the  day  of  our  departure  a 
magnificent  snuff-box,  adorned  with  the  portrait  of  her  majesty, 
and  richly  set  with  diamonds ;  and  the  snuff-box,  moreover,  was 
entirely  filled  with  gold  pieces.  Come,  take  hold  of  the  trunk  on 
that  side ;  I  shall  do  so  on  this,  and  we  will  take  it  directly  up  to 
my  master's  rooms. " 

Just  as  they  entered  the  hall  with  their  precious  load,  another 
carriage  drove  up  to  the  door.  But  this  time  it  was  only  a  miser- 
able, rickety  old  basket-chaise,  drawn  by  two  lean  jades  with 
lowered  heads  and  heaving  bellies. 

The  porter,  therefore,  did  not  deem  it  worth  while  to  ring  the 
bell  for  this  forlorn -look  ing  vehicle  ;  but  he  contented  himself  with 
leisurely  putting  his  hands  into  his  pockets,  sauntering  down  to  the 
chaise,  and  casting  a  disdainful  glance  into  its  interior. 


TWO  GERMAN  SAVANTS.  335 

There  was  also  a  single  gentleman  in  it,  but  his  appearance  was 
less  prepossessing  and  indicative  of  liberality  than  that  of  the  former 
stranger.  The  new-comer  was  a  little  gentleman,  with  a  pale  face 
and  a  sickly  form.  His  mien  was  grave  and  care-worn  ;  his  dark 
eyes  were  gloomy  and  stern ;  his  expansive  forehead  was  thoughtful 
and  clouded. 

"May  I  have  a  room  in  your  hotel?"  he  asked,  in  a  clear,  ringing 
voice. 

"  Certainly,  sir,  as  nice  and  elegant  as  you  may  desire, "  said  the 
porter,  condescendingly. 

"I  do  not  require  it  to  be  nice  and  elegant, "  replied  the  stranger. 
"  Only  a  small  room  with  a  comfortable  bed ;  that  is  all  I  care 
for." 

"  It  is  at  your  disposal,  sir, "  said  the  porter  ;  and  beckeaiing  the 
youngest  waiter  to  assist  the  stranger  in  alighting,  he  added  :  "  Take 
the  gentleman  to  one  of  the  smaller  rooms  on  the  first  floor. " 

"  Oh,  no, "  said  the  stranger,  "  I  do  not  ask  for  a  room  on  the  first 
floor ;  I  shall  be  satisfied  with  one  on  the  second  floor.  Be  kind 
enough  to  pay  my  fare  to  the  coachman  ;  he  gets  ten  florins.  You 
may  put  it  down  on  my  bill. " 

.  "And  will  you  give  me  no  drink-money?"  asked  the  coachman, 
angrily.  "  The  gentleman  will  assuredly  not  refuse  me  drink-money 
after  a  three  days'  journey?" 

"  My  friend,  I  did  not  agree  to  pay  you  any  thing  but  those  ten 
florins,  "said  the  stranger.  "  I  will  comply  with  your  demand,  how- 
ever, for  you  have  been  an  excellent  driver. " 

He  handed  half  a  florin  to  the  coachman,  and  entered  the  hotel 
with  measured  steps. 

"Do  you  want  supper?"  asked  the  waiter,  conducting  him  up- 
stairs. 

"  Yes,  if  you  please, "  said  the  stranger  ;  "  but  no  expensive  sup- 
per, merely  a  cup  of  tea  and  some  bread  and  meat. " 

"A.  poor  devil!"  muttered  the  porter,  shrugging  his  shoulders 
disdainfully,  and  following  the  stranger  with  his  eyes.  "  A  very 
poor  devil !  only  a  room  on  the  second  floor ;  tea  and  bread  and  meat 
for  supper  I  He  must  be  a  savant,  a  professor,  or  something  of  that 
sort. " 

Meantime  the  footman  and  the  waiter  had  carried  the  heavy 
trunk,  with  the  gold  and  other  valuables,  up- stairs  to  the  rooms  of 
the  stranger  on  the  first  floor.  These  rooms  were  really  furnished 
in  the  most  sumptuous  manner,  and  worthy  to  be  inhabited  by 
guests  of  princely  rank.  Heavy  silk  and  gold  hangings  covered  the 
walls ;  blinds  of  costly  velvet,  fringed  with  gold,  veiled  the  high 
arched  windows ;  precious  Turkish  carpets  adorned  the  floor ;  gilt 


336  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

furniture,  carved  in  the  most  artistic  manner  and  covered  with 
velvet  cushions,  added  to  the  splendor  and  beauty  of  the  rooms. 

The  stranger  lay  on  one  of  the  magnificent  sofas  when  the  trunk 
with  his  valuables  was  brought  in.  He  ordered  the  footman  with  a 
wave  of  his  hand  to  place  the  trunk  before  him  on  the  marble  table, 
wrought  by  some  Florentine  artisan,  and  then  he  leisurely  stretched 
out  his  legs  again  on  the  velvet  sofa. 

Scarcely  had  the  door  closed  again  behind  the  footman  and  the 
waiter,  however,  when  he  hastily  rose,  and  drawing  the  trunk 
toward  him,  opened  it  with  a  small  key  fastened  to  his  watch-chain. 

"  I  believe  I  will  now  at  length  add  up  my  riches, "  he  said  to 
himself.  "The  time  of  the  golden  rain,  I  am  afraid  is  over,  at 
least  for  the  present ;  for,  in  Germany,  an  author  and  savant  is 
never  taken  for  a  Danae,  and  no  one  wants  to  be  a  Jove  and  lavish  a 
golden  rain  upon  him.  The  practical  English,  who  are  more  saga- 
cious in  every  respect,  know,  too,  how  to  appreciate  a  writer  of 
merit,  and  pay  him  better  for  his  works.  Thank  God  I  was  in  Eng- 
land !  Let  us  see  now  how  much  we  have  got. " 

He  plunged  his  hands  into  the  small  trunk  and  drew  them  forth 
filled  with  gold  pieces. 

"  How  well  that  sounds !"  he  said,  throwing  the  gold  pieces  on 
the  table,  and  constantly  adding  new  ones  to  them.  "  There  is  no 
music  of  the  spheres  to  be  compared  with  this  sound,  and  no  view 
is  more  charming  than  the  aspect  of  this  pile  of  gold.  How  many 
tender  love-glances,  how  many  sumptuous  dinners,  how  many  pro- 
testations of  friendship  and  love-pledges,  how  many  festivals  and 
pleasures  do  not  flash  forth  from  those  gold  pieces,  as  though  they 
were  an  enchanted  mine !  As  a  good  general,  I  will  count  my 
troops,  and  thus  enable  myself  to  draw  up  the  plans  of  my  battles. " 

A  long  pause  ensued.  Nothing  was  heard  but  the  music  of  the 
gold  pieces,  which  the  traveller  arranged  in  long  rows  on  the  marble 
table,  and  the  figures  which  he  muttered,  while  his  countenance 
grew  every  moment  more  radiant. 

"Five  hundred  guineas!"  he  exclaimed  joyfully;  "that  sum  is 
equivalent  to  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty-three  dollars 
in  Prussian  money  ;  there  are,  besides,  two  thousand -pound  notes  in 
my  wallet,  amounting  to  over  thirteen  thousand  dollars,  which, 
together  with  my  guineas,  will  amount  to  over  sixteen  thousand 
dollars  cash.  Oh,  now  I  am  a  rich  man  !  I  no  longer  need  deny  to 
myself  any  wish,  any  enjoyment.  I  can  enjoy  life,  and  I  will  enjoy 
it.  As  a  stream  of  enjoyment  and  delight  my  days  shall  roll  along, 
and  to  enjoyment  glory  shall  be  added,  and  throughout  all  Germany 
my  voice  shall  resound ;  in  all  cabinets  it  shall  reecho,  and  to  the 
destinies  of  nations  it  shall  point  out  their  channel  and  direction. 


TWO  GERMAN  SAVANTS.  337 

For  great  things  I  am  called,  and  great  things  will  I  accomplish. 
I  will  not  allow  myself  to  be  used  by  these  lords  of  the  earth  as  a 
journeyman,  to  whom  the  masters  assign  work  for  scanty  pay. 
Their  equal  and  peer,  I  will  stand  by  their  side,  and  they  shall  rec- 
ognize it  as  a  favor  which  they  cannot  weigh  up  with  gold,  if  I  take 
the  word  for  them  and  their  interests,  and  win  battles  for  them  with 
my  pen. " 

There  was  a  gentle  knock  at  the  door,  and  quickly  he  threw  his 
silken  handkerchief  over  the  gold  pieces  and  papers,  and  closed  the 
cover  of  his  casket  before  he  gave  permission  to  enter. 

It  was  only  a  few  waiters,  who  carried  a  well-spread  table,  in 
the  midst  of  which  a  splendid  pheasant  stretched  its  brownish,  shin- 
ing limbs,  and  filled  the  whole  room  with  the  odor  of  the  truffles 
with  which  it  was  stuffed.  By  its  side  shone,  in  crystal  bottles,  the 
most  precious  Rhine  wine,  looking  like  liquid  gold,  and  a  silent, 
still  undisclosed  pie  gave  a  presentiment  of  a  piquant  enjoyment. 

The  traveller  sipped  the  several  odors  with  smiling  comfort,  and 
took  his  place  at  the  table  with  the  full  confidence  that  he  would  be 
able  to  fill  the  next  half  hour  of  his  life  with  enjoyment  and  to 
advantage. 

In  this  confidence  he  was  not  disappointed,  and  when  he  finally 
rose  from  the  table,  on  which  nothing  but  bones  had  remained  of 
the  pheasant,  and  nothing  but  the  bare  crust  of  the  pie,  his  counte- 
nance beamed  with  satisfaction  and  delight. 

The  waiters  made  haste  to  remove  the  table,  and  the  head  waiter 
made  his  appearance  with  the  large  hotel  register,  in  which  he 
asked  the  traveller  to  enter  his  name. 

He  was  ready  for  it,  and  already  took  the  pen  to  write  his  name, 
when  suddenly  he  uttered  a  cry  of  surprise,  and  excitedly  pointed 
with  his  finger  to  the  last  written  line  of  the  book. 

"Is  this  gentleman  still  in  your  hotel,  or  has  he  already  left?"  he 
asked,  hastily. 

"  No,  your  honor,  this  gentleman  arrived  only  an  hour  ago,  and 
he  will  stay  here  to-night, "  said  the  head  waiter. 

"  Oh,  what  a  surprise, "  said  the  traveller,  starting  up.  "  Come, 
please  to  conduct  me  at  once  to  this  gentleman. " 

And,  with  impatient  haste,  he  ran  to  the  door,  which  the  head 
waiter  opened  to  him.  But  upon  the  threshold  he  suddenly  stopped 
and  seemed  to  pause. 

"  Pray  wait  for  me  here  in  this  hall ;  I  shall  follow  you  imme- 
diately, "  he  said,  as  he  returned  to  his  room,  closed  its  door,  and 
hastened  to  the  table  in  order  to  put  his  gold  and  his  papers  into  the 
casket  and  to  lock  it. 

In  the  mean  while,  the  traveller  in  the  small  room  of  the  second 


338  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

floor  had  finished  his  frugal  meal,  and  was  now  occupied  with 
making  up  his  account  and  entering  the  little  travelling  expenses 
of  the  last  few  days  into  his  diary. 

"  It  is  after  all  an  expensive  journey, "  he  muttered  to  himself ; 
"  I  shall  hardly  have  a  few  hundred  florins  left  on  my  arrival  at 
Berlin.  It  is  true  the  first  quarter  of  my  salary  will  at  once  be  paid 
to  me,  but  one-half  of  it  I  have  already  assigned  to  my  creditors, 
and  the  other  half  will  scarcely  suffice  to  furnish  decently  a  few 
rooms.  Oh,  how  much  are  those  to  be  envied,  the  freedom  and 
cheerfulness  of  whose  minds  are  never  disturbed  by  financial 
troubles !" 

A  loud  knock  at  the  door  interrupted  him  ;  he  hastened  to  put 
back  his  money  into  his  pocket-book,  when  the  door  was  hastily 
opened  and  the  stranger  of  the  first  story  appeared  in  it  with  a  smil- 
ing countenance. 

"Frederick  Gentz !"  exclaimed  the  owner  of  the  room,  in  joyful 
surprise. 

"Johannes  Miiller !"  smilingly  exclaimed  the  other,  running  up 
to  him  with  outstretched  arms,  and  tenderly  embracing  the  little 
man,  the  great  historian.  "  What  good  fortune  for  me,  my  friend, 
that  I  put  up  at  this  hotel,  where  I  was  to  have  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing you !  Accidentally  I  found  in  the  hotel  register  your  name, 
and  at  once  I  rushed  to  welcome  you. " 

"  And  by  coming  you  afford  to  my  heart  a  true  joy, "  tenderly 
said  Johannes  Miiller,  "for  nothing  can  afford  a  greater  joy  than  the 
unexpected  meeting  with  a  beloved  and  esteemed  friend,  and  you 
know  you  are  both  to  me. " 

"  I  only  know  that  you  are  both  to  me  I "  exclaimed  Gentz.  "  I 
only  know  that  during  my  present  journey  I  am  indebted  to  you  for 
the  most  precious  hours,  for  the  most  sublime  enjoyments.  I  had 
taken  along  for  my  reading  your  work  on  the  'Fiirstenbund'  ('Alli- 
ance of  Princes') .  I  wished  to  see  whether  this  book  which,  on  its 
first  appearance,  so  powerfully  affected  me,  would  still  have  the 
same  effect  upon  me  after  an  interval  of  twenty  years.  The  world 
since  then  has  been  transformed  and  changed,  I  myrelf  not  less ; 
and  I  was  well  aware  how  far  my  views  on  many  most  important 
topics  would  differ  from  yours.  This,  indeed,  I  found  to  be  the 
case,  and  yet  the  whole  reading  was  for  me  an  uninterrupted  cur- 
rent of  delight  and  admiration.  For  four  weeks  I  read  in  my  leisure 
hours  nothing  but  this  book,  and  I  felt  my  mind  consecrated, 
strengthened,  and  nerved  again  for  every  thing  great  and  good. " 

"If  you  say  this, "  exclaimed  Miiller,  "I  have  not  labored  in  vain, 
although  a  German  author  feels  sometimes  tempted  to  believe  that 
all  his  labors,  all  his  writing  And  thinking  were  useless  efforts,  and 


TWO  GERMAN  SAVANTS.  339 

nothing  but  seed  scattered  upon  barren  and  sterile  soil,  and  unable 
to  bear  fruit.  Oh,  my  friend,  what  unfortunate  days  of  humilia- 
tion and  disgrace  are  still  in  store  for  Germany  !  But  let  us  not  talk 
of  this  now,  but  of  you.  Come,  let  us  seat  ourselves  side  by  side 
upon  this  divan.  And  now  tell  me  of  your  successes  and  your  glory. 
The  report  of  it  has  reached  me,  and  I  have  learned  with  unen vying 
delight  with  what  enthusiasm  the  whole  literary  and  political  world 
of  England  has  received  you,  and  how  the  court,  the  ministers,  and 
the  aristocracy  of  London  have  celebrated  the  great  German  writer 
and  politician. " 

"  It  is  true  I  have  met  in  London  with  much  kindness  and  a  flat- 
tering reception,"  said  Gentz,  smilingly.  "You  know  a  German 
writer  must  go  abroad  if  he  lays  claim  to  recognition  and  reward, 
for,  as  the  proverb  says,  '  The  prophet  is  not  without  honor,  save  in 
his  own  country. '  I  had,  therefore,  to  go  to  England  in  order  to 
secure  for  my  voice,  which  until  then  was  little  heeded,  some  au- 
thority even  in  Germany. " 

"  And  now,  when  you  have  so  eminently  succeeded  in  this,  you 
return  I  hope  forever  to  Germany  ?" 

"  It  almost  seems  so.  I  follow  a  call  of  the  Austrian  minister, 
Cobenzl,  and  have  been  appointed  in  Vienna  as  Aulic  'councillor, 
with  a  salary  of  four  thousand  florins. " 

"And  in  which  ministry  will  you  work?" 

"Not  in  any  particular  one.  I  have  been  engaged  for  extra- 
ordinary services  exclusively,  with  no  other  obligation  than,  as 
Minister  von  Cobenzl  expressly  writes,  to  work  by  my  writings  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  government,  of  morals,  and  order. " 

A  smile  stole  over  the  delicate  features  of  Muller. 

"  Exactly  the  same  words  which  the  Minister  von  Thugut  said  to 
me  two  years  ago.  And  you  have  had  the  courage  to  accept  the 
position?" 

"  Yes,  I  have  accepted  it,  because  I  hope  thus  to  render  a  service 
to  the  fatherland,  and  to  be  of  advantage  to  it.  I  have  forever  cast 
off  my  Prussianism,  and  shall  henceforth  become  an  Austrian  with 
body  and  soul. " 

"  How  wonderful  are  the  dispensations  of  fate  !  for  I  must  reply 
to  you  that  I  have  cast  off  forever  my  Austrianism,  and  shall  hence- 
forth become  a  Prussian  with  body  and  soul. " 

"Ah,  you  go  to  Prussia  !    You  leave  the  Austrian  service?" 

"  Yes,  forever.     I  follow  a  call  to  Berlin. " 

"Oh,"  exclaimed  Gentz,  "I  have  not  the  courage  to  complain 
that  I  have  to  do  without  you  in  Vienna,  for  fate  in  its  wisdom  has 
disposed  of  both  of  us,  and  It  will  make  us  available  for  the  great, 
sublime  cause  of  Germany.  Being  both  stationed  at  one  place,  our 


340  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

efforts  could  not  be  .so  far  reaching,  so  powerful,  and  therefore  fate 
sets  you  up  in  the  north  of  Germany,  and  me  in  the  south,  in  order 
that  our  voices  may  resound  hither  and  thither  throughout  Ger- 
many, and  awaken  all  minds  and  kindle  all  energies  for  the  one 
grand  aim,  the  delivery  and  the  honor  of  Germany. " 

"  You  still  believe,  then,  in  the  honor  of  Germany  and  the  possi- 
bility of  its  delivery, "  Miiller  inquired,  with  a  sigh. 

"  Yes,  I  still  believe  in  it, "  Gentz  exclaimed,  with  enthusiasm ; 
"  but  to  that  end  many  things  must  yet  be  done,  many  things  must 
be  aimed  at  and  changed.  Above  all,  two  things  are  necessary.  In 
the  first  place,  the  old  enmity  between  Austria  and  Prussia  must 
disappear,  and  both  must  firmly  unite  with  each  other  and  with 
England  against  France.  It  is  this  which  I  in  Vienna  and  you  in 
Berlin  must  never  lose  sight  of — which  we  must  aim  at  with  all  the 
power  of  our  spirit  and  of  our  eloquence ;  for  it  is  one  of  the  last 
measures  which  are  left  for  maintaining  the  independence  of  Europe 
and  for  averting  the  deluge  of  evils  which  break  forth  more  terribly 
every  day.  From  the  moment  when  Austria  and  Prussia  shall  stand 
upon  one  line  and  move  in  one  direction,  there  will  be  nowhere  in 
Germany  particular  interests.  All  the  greater  and  lesser  princes 
would  at  once  and  without  hesitation  place  themselves  under  the 
wings  of  this  powerful  alliance — the  well-disposed  cheerfully  and 
out  of  conviction,  and  the  unpatriotic  ones  through  fear.  So  much 
of  the  constitution  as  has  been  rescued  from  this  last  shipwreck, 
would  be  safe  for  the  duration  of  this  alliance  ;  and  so  much  of  it  as 
must  be  altered,  would  be  altered  according  to  the  principles  of  jus- 
tice and  of  the  common  weal,  and  not  according  to  the  disgraceful 
demands  of  French  and  Russian  land  agents. " 

"  You  are  right, "  exclaimed  Johannes  Miiller ;  "  a  close  alliance 
of  Austria  and  Prussia  is  necessary,  and  only  through  it,  and 
through  it  alone,  the  maintenance  of  the  European  equilibrium  is 
possible,  but  for  the  present  we  must  lean  on  the  power  of  Russia 
and  the  resources  of  England. " 

"No,  no,"  Gentz  exclaimed,  vehemently;  "no  communion  with 
Russia !  Russia  is  a  friend  who  can  never  be  trusted,  for  whenever 
it  shall  be  her  advantage  she  will  at  any  moment  be  ready  to  become 
the  most  bitter  enemy  of  her  friends.  But  really  we  have  had  a 
striking  and  terrible  example  of  this  when  the  Emperor  Paul  sud- 
denly separated  from  Germany  and  England  in  order  to  ally  himself 
with  France.  But  the  union  of  France  and  Russia  is  the  most 
threatening  and  terrible  combination  for  the  whole  remainder  of 
Europe.  Of  all  the  wounds  which  during  the  last  ten  years  have 
been  inflicted  upon  the  old  political  system,  and  in  particular  upon 
the  independence  of  Germany,  those  which  were  caused  by  the  tern- 


TWO  GERMAN  SAVANTS.  341 

porary  agreement  between  France  and  Russia  were  the  deepest  and 
most  incurable.  If  this  comet  should  rise  a  second  time  over  our 
heads,  the  world  will  go  up  in  flames.  What  is  to  resist  the  com- 
bined power  of  these  two  colossuses  unless  the  united  weight  and 
the  united  bulk  of  Germany  hinders  their  embrace?  The  western 
colossus  has  long  since  broken  through  its  old  barriers  ;  all  the  out- 
posts are  in  its  power,  all  the  fortresses  which  do  not  belong  to  it  are 
dismantled,  all  the  points  of  military  defence  are  outflanked.  From 
Switzerland  and  Italy,  from  the  peaks  of  the  conquered  Alps,  it  may 
irresistibly  pounce  upon  the  centre  of  the  Austrian  monarchy  and 
invade  the  exposed  provinces  of  the  undefended  Prussian  kingdom. 
And  now  let  it  please  Providence  to  elevate  upon  the  Russian 
throne  a  prince  full  of  ambition  and  thirst  of  conquest,  and  the  sub- 
jugation of  Germany,  the  dissolution  of  all  the  empires  still  existing, 
a  double  universal  monarchy  would,  under  the  present  circumstances, 
be  the  next  consequence ;  and  if  the  present  system,  or  rather  the 
present  hopeless  languor  should  continue  for  several  more  years, 
this  must  sooner  or  later  be  the  inevitable  destiny  of  Germany. " 

"  There  is  now  for  Germany  only  one  enemy, "  Johannes  Miiller 
said,  vehemently,  "  and  this  enemy  is  France — is  Bonaparte  !  A 
new  crisis  approaches  ;  of  this  I  am  convinced.  Bonaparte  will  not 
be  satisfied  with  the  title  and  the  office  of  a  First  Consul  for  life ; 
he  will  place  a  crown  upon  his  head,  and  threateningly  oppose  him- 
self with  his  sceptre  to  all  monarchies,  and  they  will  either  have  to 
humble  themselves  before  him  or  to  unite  against  him,  Therefore, 
no  other,  no  possible  future  enemy,  should  be  thought  of  at  this 
time,  but  only  the  universal  foe  and  his  government,  so  incompati- 
ble with  general  tranquillity.  Let  all  the  hatred  of  the  nation  be 
poured  down  on  him,  and  on  him  alone,  by  everywhere  spreading 
the  conviction  that  nothing  interferes  with  the  preservation  of  peace 
throughout  the  world  but  Ms  existence. "  * 

"  There  is  something  else  I  would  wish  for  Germany, "  said  Gentz, 
musingly.  "  I  will  now  reveal  to  you  my  innermost  thoughts,  my 
friend,  for  I  am  satisfied  that  our  meeting  here  was  a  dispensation 
of  fate.  Providence  has  decreed  that  we,  the  intellectual  champions 
of  Germany,  should  agree  here  on  the  plans  of  our  campaign  and 
concert  measures  for  our  joint  action.  Therefore,  you  shall  descend 
with  me  into  the  depths  of  my  heart  and  see  the  result  to  which  I 
have  been  led  by  many  years'  reflection  concerning  the  causes  and 
progress  of  the  great  convulsions  of  our  day,  and  by  my  own  grief 
at  the  political  decay  of  Germany.  The  result  is  the  firm  belief  that 
it  would  be  by  far  better  for  Germany  to  be  united  into  one  state. 
Oh,  do  not  look  at  me  in  so  surprised  and  angry  a  manner !  I  know 

•Milller's own  words.— Vide  "  MSmoires  (Tun  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  vii.,  p.  39. 


342  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

very  well,  and  I  have  reflected  a  great  deal  about  it,  how  salutary 
an  influence  has  been  exerted  by  the  dismemberment  of  Germany 
on  the  free  development  of  the  individual  faculties ;  I  acknowledge 
that,  considered  individually,  we  might  very  probably  not  have 
reached,  in  a  great  and  centralized  monarchy,  the  proud  and  glorious 
eminence  we  are  occupying  at  the  present  time,  and  so  far,  as  a 
nation,  after  all,  only  consists  of  individuals,  I  am  unable  to  per- 
ceive exactly  how  ours,  without  anarchy,  could  have  acquired  the 
distinction  which  it  might  boast  of  if  it  were  a  nation  !  But  when- 
ever I  think  that  it  is  no  nation — whenever  I  think  that  France  and 
England,  with  greatly  inferior  faculties  and  means,  have  grown  up 
to  that  true  totality  of  human  life — to  that  true  nationality  which 
nothing  is  able  to  destroy — whenever  I  think  and  feel  that  foreigners, 
on  whom  we  may  look  down  from  our  exalted  stand -point,  in  mat- 
ters of  politics,  trample  on  our  necks,  and  are  allowed  to  treat  us  as 
though  we  were  their  servants,  all  consolations  derived  from  our 
grand  and  magnificent  individuality  vanish  and  leave  me  alone  with 
my  grief.  *  I  am  f ree  to  confess  to  you  that  I  have  already  gone  so 
far  on  the  road  of  those  mournful  reflections  as  to  consider  it  very 
doubtful  whether  the  whole  history  of  Germany  was  ever  treated 
from  a  correct  point  of  view.  I  know  but  too  well  that  the  princes 
of  the  house  of  Austria  seldom,  if  ever,  deserved  to  be  the  rulers  of 
Germany ;  but  I  do  not  believe  that  there  are  any  reasons  why  we 
should  exult  at  the  discomfiture  of  their  plans.  It  is  a  matter  of 
great  indifference  to  me  whether  a  Hapsburg,  Bavarian,  Hohenzol- 
lern,  or  Hohenstaufen  succeed  in  bringing  the  empire  under  one 
hat ;  I  only  place  myself  on  an  Austrian  stand-point  because  that 
house  has  the  best  prospects  and  is  under  the  highest  obligations  to 
accomplish  the  unity  of  Germany.  Now  you  know  my  innermost 
thoughts  ;  criticise  and  correct  them,  my  friend  !" 

"  I  will  neither  criticise  nor  correct  them, "  said  Miiller,  offering 
his  hand  to  Gentz  with  a  tender  glance ;  "  I  will  only  exchange 
views  with  you.  I  imagine,  therefore,  at  this  moment,  we  were 
pacing,  as  we  did  a  year  ago,  previous  to  your  journey  to  England, 
the  splendid  hall  of  the  imperial  library,  where  the  sixteen  statues 
of  the  Hapsburg  emperors  reminded  us  of  their  era.  Before  which 
of  them  will  we  place  ourselves  and  say:  'What  a  pity  that  you, 
wise  and  noble  prince,  are  not  the  sole  ruler  of  Germany  ;  you  were 
worthy,  indeed,  that  the  moral  and  political  welfare  of  the  whole 
nation  should  be  left  to  the  decision  of  your  will,  and  that  every 
thing  should  be  submitted  to  your  power !'" 

"It  is  true,"  muttered  Gentz,  mournfully;   "in  the  histoiy  of 

*  Gentz's  own  wordg.— Vide  "  Mtooires  (Tun  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  vii.,  p.  30. 


TWO  GERMAN  SAVANTS.  343 

Germany  there  is  no  emperor,  king,  or  prince  to  whom  we  might  Or 
should  talk  in  this  manner. " 

"  Nor  is  that  the  cause  of  our  misfortunes, "  said  Muller ;  "  the 
want  of  one  ruler  has  not  produced  them,  and  it  is  not  so  bad  that 
we  have  not  got  but  one  neck,  and  cannot  consequently  be  struck 
down  at  one  blow.  The  fault,  on  the  contrary,  is  our  own.  If  we 
had  a  single  great  man,  even  though  he  were  neither  an  emperor 
nor  a  king,  if  he  were  only  a  Maurice  of  Saxony,  a  Stadtholder  of 
Holland,  he  would  attract  the  nation  in  times  of  danger  and  distress ; 
it  would  rally  around  him  and  he  would  stand  above  it.  That  we 
have  not  such  a  man  is  owing  to  our  deplorable  system  of  education, 
and  to  the  wrong  direction  which  our  mode  of  thinking  has  taken. 
Every  thing  with  us  has  fallen  asleep,  and  we  are  in  a  condition  of 
almost  hopeless  stagnation.  The  old  poetry  of  fatherland,  honor, 
and  heroism,  seems  to  be  almost  extinct  among  us  ;  we  are  asleep, 
and  do  not  even  dream.  In  order  to  recover  our  senses,  a  conceited 
tyrant,  who  will  mock  us  while  plundering  our  pockets,  is  an  indis- 
pensable necessity.  Providence,  perhaps,  has  destined  Bonaparte 
to  become  the  tyrant  who  is  to  awaken  Germany  from  its  slumber 
by  means  of  cruelties  ;  he  is,  perhaps,  to  revive  among  the  Germans 
love  of  honor,  liberty,  and  country  ;  he  is,  perhaps,  to  be  the  scourge 
that  is  to  torture  us,  so  that  we  may  overcome  our  indolence,  and 
that  our  true  national  spirit  may  be  aroused.  I  hope  the  tyrant  will 
accomplish  this,  and  deliver  Germany.  God  knows  I  would  not 
like  to  serve  him,  but  to  the  liberators  of  the  world  I  should  willingly 
devote  my  ideas  and  my  feelings,  nay,  my  blood.*  Then  let  us 
hope,  wait,  and  prepare.  Let  us  not  occupy  ourselves  with  Germany 
as  it  might  be,  perhaps,  in  its  unity,  but  with  Germany  as  it  can  be 
with  its  confederate  system.  The  Germans  are  not  qualified,  like 
the  English  or  French,  to  live  in  a  single  great  state.  The  climate, 
their  organization,  that  miserable  beer,  the  insignificant  participa- 
tion in  the  commerce  of  the  world,  prevent  it ;  the  somewhat  phleg- 
matic body  of  the  state  must  have  an  independent  life  in  each  of  its 
parts ;  the  circulation  issuing  from  a  single  head  would  be  too 
imperceptible.  We  must  be  satisfied  with  the  glory  which  a  Joseph, 
a  Frederick  the  Great,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  whole  people  gave 
to  us,  and  if  the  next  struggle  should  terminate  successfully,  will 
give  to  us  to  the  greatest  extent,  f  We  must  struggle  on  for  the 
welfare  of  the  entire  people,  and  the  individuals  should  unite  into 
one  great  harmonious  whole.  Like  myself,  you  consider  concord 
between  Austria  and  Prussia  at  present  the  only  remedy  for  the  ilia 

*  "  MSmoires  (Tun  Homme  d'fitat,"  vol.  vii.,  pp.  39,  4ft 
+  Ibid.,  vol.  vii.,  p.  46. 


344  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

of  Germany ;  let  us,  therefore,  strive  for  it,  let  us  direct  our  whole 
strength  to  this  point,  to  this  goal. " 

"  Yes,  let  us  do  so !"  exclaimed  Gentz,  enthusiastically.  "  We  are 
both  destined  and  able  to  be  the  champions  of  Germany  ;  let  us  fulfil 
our  task.  No  matter  how  much  greater,  how  much  more  exalted 
and  brilliant  your  name  may  be  than  mine,  for  my  part  I  am  proud 
enough  to  believe  that  I  have  certain  talents  which  ought  to  unite 
our  political  efforts.  Hence,  you  cannot  and  must  not  reject  and 
neglect  me ;  you  must  accept  the  hand  which  I  offer  you  for  this 
great  and  holy  compact,  for  the  welfare  of  Germany.  We  must 
keep  up  an  active  and  uninterrupted  correspondence  with  each 
other,  and  freely  and  unreservedly  communicate  to  each  other  our 
views  about  the  great  questions  of  the  day.  It  seems  to  me  wise, 
necessary,  and  truly  patriotic  that  such  men  as  we  should  hold 
timely  consultations  with  each  other  as  to  what  should  be  done, 
and  how,  where,  and  by  whom  it  should  be  done.  The  wholesome 
influence  we  may  exert,  stationed  by  fate  as  one  of  us  is  in  Berlin, 
and  the  other  in  Vienna,  by  faithfully  uniting  our  efforts,  will  be 
truly  incalculable.  Now  say,  my  friend,  will  you  conclude  such  a 
covenant  with  me?  Shall  we  unite  in  our  active  love  for  Germany, 
in  our  active  hatred  against  France?" 

"Yes,  we  will !"  exclaimed  Johannes  Miiller,  solemnly.  "I  truly 
love  and  venerate  you ;  I  will  struggle  with  you  incessantly  until 
we  have  reached  our  common  noble  goal.  Here  is  my  hand,  my 
friend  ;  its  grasp  shall  be  the  consecration  of  our  covenant.  Perhaps 
you  do  not  know  me  very  intimately,  but  we  must  believe  in  each 
other.  All  our  studies,  all  our  intellectual  strength,  our  connec- 
tions, our  friendships,  every  thing  shall  be  devoted  to  that  one  great 
object,  for  the  sake  of  which  alone,  so  long  as  it  may  yet  be  accom- 
plished, life  is  not  to  be  disdained. "  * 

"Yes,  be  it  so,"  said  Gentz,  joyfully.  "The  covenant  is  con- 
cluded, and  may  God  bless  it  for  the  welfare  of  Germany !" 

*  "  M6moires  d'un  Homme  d'fitat,"  voL  vii.,  p.  40. 


THE  THIRD  COALITION. 


CHAPTER    XLII. 

THE  EMPEROR  NAPOLEON. 

A  NEW  era  had  dawned  for  France  !  On  the  eighteenth  of  May, 
1804,  she  had  changed  her  title  and  commenced  a  new  epoch  of  her 
existence. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  May,  1804,  the  French  Republic  had  ceased 
to  exist,  for  on  that  day  Bonaparte,  the  First  Consul,  had  become 
Napoleon,  the  first  Emperor  of  France.  There  was  no  more  talk  of 
liberty,  equality,  and  fraternity.  France  had  again  a  master — a 
master  who  was  firmly  determined  to  transform  the  proud  republi- 
cans into  obedient  subjects,  and  to  restore  law  and  order  if  necessary 
by  means  of  tyranny.  Woe  to  those  who  wanted  to  remember  old 
republican  France  under  the  new  state  of  affairs  ;  woe  to  those  who 
called  Napoleon  Bonaparte  the  assassin  of  the  republic,  and  wished 
to  punish  him  for  his  criminal  conduct !  George  Cadoudal  and 
Pichegru  had  to  atone  with  their  lives  for  such  audacious  attempts, 
and  Moreau,  Bonaparte's  great  rival,  was  banished  from  his  country. 

Woe  to  those,  too,  who  hoped  that  the  old  royal  throne  of  the 
fleur-de-lis  would  take  the  place  of  the  dying  republic  !  the  royalists 
as  well  as  the  republicans  were  punished  as  traitors  to  their  country, 
and  the  Duke  d'Enghien  was  executed  in  the  ditch  of  Vincennes  be- 
cause he  had  dared  to  approach  the  frontier  of  his  country.  Sen- 
tence of  death  had  been  passed  upon  him  without  a  trial,  without 
judgment  and  law ;  and  even  the  tears  and  prayers  of  Josephine  had 
been  unable  to  soften  Bonaparte's  heart.  The  son  of  the  Bourbons 
had 'to  die  the  death  of  a  traitor,  that  the  son  of  the  Corsican  lawyer 
might  become  Emperor  of  France. 

Europe  was  no  longer  strong  enough  to  punish  this  bloody  deed ; 
it  was  not  even  courageous  enough  to  denounce  it  and  to  ask  the 
First  Consul,  Bonaparte,  by  virtue  of  what  right  he  had  ordered  his 
soldiers  in  the  midst  of  peace  to  enter  a  German  state  in  order  to 
arrest  there  the  guest  of  a  German  prince  like  a  common  felon,  and 
to  have  him  executed  for  a  crime  which  was  never  proved  against 
him.  The  sense  of  honor  and  justice  seemed  entirely  extinct  in 


346  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Germany,  and  the  princes  and  people  of  Germany  were  solely  actu- 
ated by  the  all-absorbing  fear  lest  powerful  France  might  assume  a 
hostile  attitude  toward  them. 

Not  a  voice,  therefore,  was  raised  in  Germany  in  favor  of  the 
Duke  d'Enghien,  and  against  a  violation  of  the  German  territory, 
directly  conflicting  with  the  existing  treaties  and  the  tenets  of  in- 
ternational law.  The  German  Diet,  upon  whom  it  was  incumbent 
to  maintain  the  honor  and  rights  of  all  the  German  states,  received 
the  news  of  this  bloody  deed  in  silence,  and  were  only  too  glad  that 
none  of  the  members  of  the  empire  arose  in  order  to  complain  of  the 
proceedings  of  France.  It  was  deemed  most  prudent  to  pass  over 
the  matter,  and  to  accept  what  could  not  be  helped  as  an  accom- 
plished fact. 

But  from  this  lazy  quiet  they  were  suddenly  startled  by  the  warn- 
ings of  Russia  and  Sweden,  who,  having  warranted  the  maintenance 
of  the  constitution  of  the  German  empire,  now  raised  their  voices, 
and  loudly  and  emphatically  pointed  out  "  the  danger  which  would 
arise  for  every  single  German  state  if  Germany  should  allow  meas- 
ures to  be  taken  which  threatened  her  quiet  and  safety,  and  if  deeds 
of  violence  should  be  deemed  admissible  or  be  passed  over  without 
being  duly  denounced. "  * 

A  sudden  panic  seized  the  German  Diet,  for  these  Russian  and 
Swedish  voices  rendered  further  silence  out  of  the  question.  The 
Diet  were,  therefore,  compelled  to  speak  out,  to  complain,  and  to 
demand  an  apology  and  redress,  for  Russia  and  Sweden  required  it, 
by  virtue  of  their  relation  to  the  empire ;  foreign  powers  required 
the  German  Diet,  much  to  its  dismay,  to  maintain  and  defend  the 
honor  of  Germany. 

But  the  Diet  dared  not  listen  to  them,  for  France  asked  them  to 
be  silent ;  it  threatened  to  consider  any  word  of  censure  as  a  declara- 
tion of  war.  The  ministers  of  the  German  princes,  greatly  embar- 
rassed by  their  position  between  those  equally  imperious  parties, 
found  a  way  not  to  irritate  either,  and  to  maintain  their  silence  and 
impartiality ;  they  deserted  !  That  is  to  say,  the  German  Diet,  sud- 
denly, and  long  before  the  usual  time,  took  a  recess,  a  long  recess, 
and  when  the  latter  had  at  length  expired,  the  unpleasant  affair  was 
not  taken  up,  and  the  Diet  considered  a  more  important  question  of 
the  day.f  This  more  important  question  was  to  congratulate  France 
on  having  elected  an  emperor,  who,  as  the  Austrian  minister  said, 
at  a  meeting  of  the  Diet,  "  was  so  precious  to  all  Europe,  and  by 
whose  accession  to  the  throne  his  colleagues  could  only  feel  honored. " 

The  Diet  had  been  silent  about  the  assassination  of  the  Duke 

*  Vide  Hiiusser's  "  History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  518. 
tlbid.,  p.  625. 


THE  EMPEROR  NAPOLEON.          347 

d'Enghien,  but  they  spoke  out  and  proffered  their  congratulations 
when  Bonaparte  had  become  emperor,  and  they  pretended  to  be  glad 
to  hail  him  as  the  founder  of  a  new  dynasty. 

Napoleon  Bonaparte,  therefore,  had  now  attained  his  object ;  he 
had  reestablished  the  throne  in  France ;  he  had  placed  a  crown  on 
his  head.  More  fortunate  than  Caesar,  he  had  met  with  no  Brutus 
at  the  steps  of  his  throne,  but  had  ascended  it  without  being  hin- 
dered, amidst  the  acclamations  of  France,  which  called  him  her 
emperor ;  amidst  the  acclamations  of  Italy,  which  called  him  her 
king,  and  had  willingly  cast  aside  her  title  of  Cisalpine  Republic  in 
order  to  become  the  kingdom  of  Lombardy,  and  to  adorn  Napoleon 
at  Milan  with  the  iron  crown  of  the  old  Lombard  sovereigns. 

Napoleon  had  just  returned  to  France  from  this  coronation  at 
Milan,  and  repaired  to  the  vast  camp  at  Boulogne,  where  an  army 
comprising  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  infantry  and  ninety  thou- 
sand cavalry,  eager  for  the  fray,  were  waiting  for  the  word  of  Na- 
poleon which  was  to  call  them  forth  to  new  struggles  and  new 
victories. 

The  immense  rows  of  the  soldiers'  tents  extended  far  across  the 
plain  and  along  the  sea-shore,  and  in  the  centre  of  this  city  of  tents, 
on  the  spot  where  lately  the  traces  of  a  camp  of  Julius  Caesar  had 
been  discovered,  there  arose  the  emperor's  tent,  looking  out  on  the 
ocean,  on  the  shore  of  which  the  ships  and  gunboats  of  France  were 
moored,  while  the  immense  forest  of  the  masts  and  flags  of  the 
British  fleet  was  to  be  seen  in  the  distance. 

But  this  forest  of  British  masts  did  not  frighten  the  French 
army ;  the  soldiers,  as  well  as  the  sailors,  were  eager  for  the  fray, 
and  looked  with  fiery  impatience  for  the  moment  when  the  emperor 
would  at  length  raise  his  voice  and  utter  the  longed-for  words  :  "  On 
to  England  !  Let  us  vanquish  England  as  we  have  vanquished  the 
whole  of  Europe !" 

No  one  doubted  that  the  emperor  purposed  to  utter  these  words, 
and  that  this  camp  of  Boulogne,  this  fleet  manned  with  soldiers  and 
bristling  with  guns,  were  solely  intended  against  England,  the 
hereditary  foe  of  France. 

The  emperor,  however,  hesitated  to  utter  those  decisive  words. 
He  distributed  among  the  soldiers  the  first  crosses  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor ;  he  drilled  the  troops ;  he  accepted  the  festivals  and  balls 
which  the  city  of  Boulogne  gave  in  his  honor  ;  he  stood  for  hours  on 
the  sea-shore  or  on  the  tower  of  his  barrack,  and  with  his  spy-glass 
looked  out  on  the  sea  and  over  to  the  English  ships  ;  but  his  lips  did 
not  open  to  utter  the  decisive  words  ;  the  schemes  which  filled  his 
breast  and  clouded  his  brow  were  a  secret,  the  solution  of  which  was 
looked  for  with  equal  impatience  by  his  generals  and  by  his  soldiers. 


348  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

It  was  a  delightful  morning ;  a  cool  breeze  swept  from  the  sea 
through  the  tents  of  the  camp,  and,  after  the  preceding  spell  of  de- 
bilitating hot  weather,  exerted  a  most  refreshing  and  invigorating 
effect  upon  the  languishing  soldiers.  The  sun  which  had  scorched 
every  thing  for  the  last  few  days,  was  to-day  gently  veiled  by  small, 
whitish  clouds,  which,  far  on  the  horizon,  seemed  to  arise,  like 
swans,  from  the  sea  toward  the  sky,  and  to  hasten  with  outspread 
wings  toward  the  sun. 

The  emperor,  whom  the  warm  weather  of  the  last  few  days  had 
prevented  from  riding  out,  ordered  his  horse  to  be  brought  to  him. 
He  wished  to  make  a  trip  to  the  neighboring  villages,  but  no  one 
was  to  accompany  him  except  Roustan,  his  colored  servant. 

In  front  of  the  emperor's  barrack  there  stood,  however,  all  the 
generals  and  staff -officers,  all  the  old  comrades  of  Napoleon,  the 
men  who  had  shared  his  campaigns  and  his  glory,  who  had  joyfully 
recognized  the  great  chieftain  as  their  emperor  and  master,  and 
who  wished  to  do  him  homage  to-day,  as  they  were  in  the  habit  of 
doing  every  morning  so  soon  as  he  left  his  barrack.  Napoleon, 
however,  saluted  them  to-day  only  with  a  silent  wave  of  his  hand 
and  an  affable  smile.  He  seemed  pensive  and  absorbed,  and  no  one 
dared  to  disturb  him  by  a  sound,  by  a  word.  Amid  the  solemn 
stillness  of  this  brilliant  gathering,  the  emperor  walked  to  his  horse, 
who,  less  timid  and  respectful  than  the  men,  greeted  his  master 
with  a  loud  neigh  and  a  nodding  of  the  head,  and  commenced  im- 
patiently stamping  on  the  ground.  * 

The  emperor  took  the  bridle  which  Roustan  handed  to  him  and 
vaulted  into  the  saddle.  He  raised  his  sparkling  eye  toward  the 
sky  and  then  lowered  it  to  the  sea  with  its  rocking  ships. 

"I  will  review  the  fleet  to-day, "  said  the  emperor,  turning  to  his 
adjutant-general.  "Let  orders  be  issued  to  the  ships  forming  the 
closing  line  to  change  position,  for  I  will  hold  the  review  in  the 
open  sea.  I  shall  return  in  two  hours  ;  let  every  thing  be  in  readi- 
ness at  that  time. " 

He  set  spurs  to  his  horse  and  galloped  away,  followed  by  Roustan. 
His  generals  dispersed  in  order  to  return  to  their  barracks.  The 
adjutant -general,  however,  hastened  to  Admiral  Bruix  for  the  pur- 
pose of  delivering  the  orders  of  the  emperor  to  him. 

The  admiral  listened  to  him  silently  and  attentively ;  and  then 
he  raised  his  eyes  to  the  sky  and  scanned  it  long  and  search- 
ingly. 

"It  is  impossible, "  he  said,  shrugging  his  shoulders ;  "the  orders 
of  the  emperor  cannot  be  carried  out  to-day  ;  the  review  cannot  take 

*  Napoleon's  favorite  horse,  who  always  manifested  in  this  manner  his  delight  on 
seeing  his  illustrious  masters-Constant,  vol.  ii.,  p.  81. 


THE  EMPEROR  NAPOLEON.  349 

place.  We  shall  have  a  storm  to-day,  which  will  prevent  the  ships 
from  leaving  their  moorings. " 

"Admiral,"  said  the  adjutant,  respectfully,  "I  have  delivered 
the  orders  of  the  emperor  to  you  ;  I  have  informed  you  that  the  em- 
peror wishes  that  every  thing  should  be  ready  for  the  review  on  his 
return,  within  two  hours.  Now  you  know  very  well  that  the  wish 
of  the  emperor  is  always  equivalent  to  an  order,  and  you  will  make 
your  preparations  accordingly. " 

"In  two  hours  I  shall  have  the  honor  personally  to  state  to 
his  majesty  the  reasons  why  I  was  unable  to  comply  with  his 
orders, "  said  Admiral  Bruix,  with  his  wonted  composure  and  cool- 
ness. 

Precisely  two  hours  later  the  emperor  returned  from  his  ride. 
The  generals  and  staff -officers,  the  whole  brilliant  suite  of  the  em- 
peror, stood  again  in  front  of  his  barrack,  in  order  to  receive  the 
returning  sovereign. 

Napoleon  greeted  them  with  a  pleasant  smile  ;  the  ride  seemed 
to  have  agreed  with  him  ;  the  cloud  had  disappeared  from  his  brow  ; 
his  cheeks,  generally  so  pale,  were  suffused  with  a  faint  blush,  and 
his  flaming  eyes  had  a  kind  glance  for  every  one. 

He  dismounted  with  graceful  ease,  and  stepped  with  kind  salu- 
tations into  the  circle  of  the  generals. 

"Well,  Leclerc,  is  every  thing  ready  for  the  review?"  he  asked 
his  adjutant. 

General  Leclerc  approached  him  respectfully.  "  Sire, "  he  said, 
"Admiral  Bruix,  to  whom  I  delivered  the  orders  of  your  majesty, 
replied  to  me  that  the  review  could  not  take  place  to-day  because 
there  would  be  a  storm. " 

The  emperor  frowned,  and  an  angry  flash  from  his  eyes  met  the 
face  of  the  adjutant. 

"  I  must  have  misunderstood  you,  sir, "  he  said.  "  What  did  the 
admiral  reply  when  you  delivered  my  orders  to  him?" 

"Sire,  he  said  it  was  impossible  to  carry  them  out,  for  a  storm 
was  drawing  near,  and  he  could  not  think  of  ordering  the  ships  to 
leave  their  moorings." 

The  emperor  stamped  violently  his  foot.  "  Let  Admiral  Bruix  be 
called  hither  at  once !"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  thundering  voice,  and 
two  orderlies  immediately  left  the  circle  and  hastened  away. 

Several  minutes  elapsed ;  Napoleon,  his  arms  folded,  his  threat- 
ening eyes  steadfastly  turned  toward  the  side  on  which  the  admiral 
would  make  his  appearance,  still  stood  in  front  of  his  barrack,  in 
the  midst  of  his  suite.  His  eagle  eye  now  discovered  the  admiral 
in  the  distance,  who  had  just  left  his  boat  and  stepped  ashore.  No 
longer  able  to  suppress  his  impatience  and  anger,  Napoleon  hastened 


350  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

forward  to  meet  the  admiral,  while  the  gentlemen  of  his  staff  fol- 
lowed him  in  a  long  and  silent  procession. 

The  emperor  and  the  admiral  now  stood  face  to  face.  Napoleon's 
eyes  flashed  fire. 

"  Admiral, "  exclaimed  the  emperor,  in  an  angry  voice,  "  why  did 
not  you  carry  out  my  orders?" 

The  admiral  met  Napoleon's  wrathful  glance  in  a  calm  though 
respectful  manner.  "Sire,"  he  said,  "a  terrible  storm  is  drawing 
near.  Your  majesty  can  see  it  just  as  well  as  I.  Do  you  want  to 
endanger  unnecessarily  the  lives  of  so  many  brave  men?" 

And  as  if  Nature  wanted  to  confirm  the  words  of  the  admiral, 
the  distant  roll  of  thunder  was  heard,  and  the  atmosphere  com- 
menced growing  dark. 

Napoleon,  however,  seemed  not  to  see  it,  or  the  calm  voice  of 
the  admiral  and  the  rolling  thunder,  perhaps,  excited  his  pride  to 
an  even  more  obstinate  resistance. 

"  Admiral, "  he  replied,  sternly,  "  I  have  issued  my  orders.  I  ask 
you  once  more  why  did  not  you  carry  them  out?  The  consequences 
concern  only  myself.  Obey,  therefore  !" 

"  Sire, "  he  said,  solemnly,  "  I  shall  not  obey  !" 

"  Sir,  you  are  an  impudent  fellow !"  ejaculated  Napoleon,  and, 
advancing  a  step  toward  the  admiral,  he  menacingly  raised  the 
hand  in  which  he  still  held  his  riding- whip. 

Admiral  Bruix  drew  back  a  step  and  laid  his  hand  on  his  sword. 
A  terrible  pause  ensued.  The  emperor  still  stood  there,  the  riding- 
whip  in  his  uplifted  hand,  fixing  his  flaming,  angry  eyes  on  the 
admiral,  who  maintained  his  threatening,  manly  attitude,  and, 
with  his  hand  on  his  sword,  awaited  the  emperor's  attack.  The 
generals  and  staff-officers,  pale  with  dismay,  formed  a  circle  around 
them. 

The  emperor  suddenly  dropped  his  riding- whip  ;  Admiral  Bruix 
immediately  withdrew  his  hand  from  his  sword,  and,  taking  off  his 
hat,  he  awaited  the  end  of  the  dreadful  scene  in  profound  silence. 

"  Bear- Admiral  Magon,"  said  the  emperor,  calling  one  of  the 
gentlemen  of  his  suite,  "  cause  the  movements  I  had  ordered  to  be 
carried  out  at  once  !  As  for  you, "  he  continued,  slowly  turning  his 
eyes  toward  the  admiral,  "you  will  leave  Boulogne  within  twenty- 
four  hours  and  retire  to  Holland.  Begone  I" 

He  turned  around  hastily  and  walked  toward  his  barrack.  Ad- 
miral Bruix  looked  after  him  with  an  aggrieved  air,  and  then  turned 
also  around  in  order  to  go.  While  walking  through  the  crowd  of 
generals  and  staff-officers,  he  offered  his  hand  to  his  friends  and 
acquaintances  in  order  to  take  leave  of  them ;  but  few  of  them, 
however,  saw  it,  and  shook  liands  with  him;  most  of  them  had 


THE  EMPEROR  NAPOLEON.          351 

averted  their  eyes  from  the  admiral,  whom  the  sun  of  imperial 
favor  did  not  illuminate  any  longer,  and  who  consequently  was  so 
entirely  cast  in  the  shade,  that  they  were  unable  to  perceive  him. 

Rear- Admiral  Magon  had  in  the  mean  time  carried  out  the  orders 
of  the  emperor.  The  ships  which  before  had  been  at  anchor  near 
the  outlet  of  the  harbor,  keeping  it  entirely  closed,  had  moved  farther 
into  the  sea,  while  the  other  vessels  in  the  harbor  were  going  out. 

But  Admiral  Bruix's  prediction  began  already  to  be  fulfilled  ;  the 
sky  was  covered  with  black  clouds  from  which  lightning  was  burst- 
ing forth  in  rapid  succession.  The  thunder  of  the  heavens  drowned 
the  roar  of  the  sea,  which  arose  like  a  huge,  black  monster,  hissing 
and  howling,  and  fell  back  again  from  its  height,  covered  with 
foam,  and  opened  abysses  into  which  the  ships  seemed  to  sink  in 
order  to  be  hurled  up  again  by  the  next  wave.  The  storm,  with  its 
dismal  yells,  attacked  the  masts  and  broke  them  as  though  they 
were  straws,  and  lashed  the  ships,  which  had  already  left  the  harbor, 
out  into  the  sea,  to  certain  ruin,  to  certain  death. 

The  emperor  had  left  his  barrack  and  hurried  down  to  the  beach 
with  rapid  steps.  With  folded  arms  and  lowered  head,  gloomy  and 
musing,  he  walked  up  and  down  in  the  storm.  He  was  suddenly 
aroused  from  his  meditations  by  loud  screams,  by  exclamations  of 
terror  and  dismay. 

Twenty  gunboats,  which  the  rear-admiral  had  already  caused  to 
be  manned  with  sailors  and  soldiers,  had  been  driven  ashore  by  the 
storm,  and  the  waves  which  swept  over  them  with  thundering  noise 
menaced  the  crews  with  certain  death.  Their  cries  for  help,  their 
shrieks  and  supplications  were  distinctly  heard  and  reechoed  by  the 
wails  and  lamentations  of  the  masses  that  had  hastened  to  the  beach 
in  order  to  witness  the  storm  and  the  calamities  of  the  shipwreck. 

The  emperor  looked  at  his  generals  and  staff-officers  who  sur- 
rounded him,  dumbfounded  with  horror ;  he  saw  that  no  one  had 
the  courage  or  deemed  it  feasible  to  assist  the  poor  drowning  men. 
All  at  once  the  gloomy  air  vanished  from  his  face  ;  it  became  radiant 
with  enthusiasm ;  the  emperor  was  transformed  once  more  into  a 
hero,  daring  every  thing,  and  shrinking  back  from  no  danger. 

He  immediately  entered  one  of  the  life-boats  and  pushing  back 
the  arms  of  those  who  wished  to  detain  him,  he  exclaimed  in  an 
almost  jubilant  voice :  "  Let  me  go,  let  me  go !  We  must  assist 
those  unhappy  men !" 

But  his  frail  bark  was  speedily  filled  with  water;  the  waves 
swept  over  it  with  a  wild  roar,  and  covered  the  whole  form  of  the 
emperor  with  foaming,  hissing  spray.  He  still  kept  himself  erect 
by  dint  of  almost  superhuman  efforts  ;  but  now  another  even  more 
terrible  wave  approached  and  swept,  thundering  and  with  so  much 


352  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

violence  over  the  bark,  that  the  emperor,  reeling  and  losing  his 
equilibrium,  was  about  falling  overboard,  when  his  generals  dragged 
him  from  the  boat  and  took  him  ashore.  He  followed  them 
unhesitatingly,  stunned  as  he  was  by  the  wave,  and  as  he  stepped 
ashore,  a  flash  burst  forth  from  the  cloud  ;  a  majestic  thunder- clap 
followed  ;  the  howling  storm  tore  the  hat  from  the  emperor's  head 
and  carried  it,  as  if  on  invisible  wings,  high  into  the  air  and  then 
far  out  into  the  sea  where  the  waves  seemed  to  receive  it  with  roars 
of  exultation,  driving  it  down  to  their  foaming  depth. 

But  the  courageous  example  given  by  the  emperor  had  exerted  an 
electric  effect  on  the  masses  which  heretofore  had  apparently  been 
stupefied  with  horror.  Every  one  now  felt  and  recognized  it  to  be 
his  sacred  duty  to  make  efforts  for  the  rescue  of  the  unfortunate 
men  who  were  still  struggling  with  the  waves  and  shouting  for 
help  ;  officers,  soldiers,  sailors,  and  citizens,  all  rushed  into  the  life- 
boats or  plunged  into  the  sea  in  order  to  swim  up  to  the  drowning 
men  and  save  them  in  time  from  a  watery  grave. 

But  the  sea  was  not  willing  to  surrender  many  of  its  victims. 
It  wanted,  perhaps,  to  prove  its  superior  divine  majesty  to  the  im- 
perial ruler  which  had  defied  it,  and  punish  him  for  his  presump- 
tion. 

Only  a  few  were  rescued,  for  the  storm  did  not  abate  during  the 
whole  day ;  it  lashed  up  the  sea  into  waves  mountain- high,  or 
opened  abysses  frightful  to  behold.  Night  finally  descended  on  the 
angry  waters  and  spread  its  black  pall  over  the  scene  of  death  and 
despair. 

In  the  morning  the  beach  was  covered  with  hundreds  of  corpses 
which  the  sea  had  thrown  ashore.  An  enormous  crowd  thronged 
the  shore ;  every  one  came  to  look  with  fainting  heart  and  loud 
lamentations  among  the  mute,  pale  corpses  for  a  husband,  a  friend, 
or  a  brother ;  shrieks  and  wails  filled  the  air  and  even  penetrated  to 
the  emperor's  barracks. 

He  had  not  slept  during  the  whole  night ;  he  had  been  pacing 
his  rooms,  restless,  with  a  gloomy  air  and  pale  cheeks :  now,  early 
in  the  morning,  he  once  more  hastened  down  to  the  beach.  Thou- 
sands of  persons,  however,  had  preceded  him  thither.  When  they 
beheld  the  emperor  they  stepped  gloomily  aside  ;  they  did  not  receive 
him,  as  heretofore,  with  loud  exultation  and  joyful  acclamations ; 
they  looked  at  him  with  a  reproachful  air,  and  then  turned  their 
eyes  in  mute  eloquence  to  the  corpses  lying  in  the  sand. 

The  emperor  was  unable  to  bear  the  silence  of  the  crowd  and  the 
sight  of  these  corpses ;  pale  and  shuddering,  he  turned  away  and 
•walked  back  to  his  barrack  slowly  and  with  lowered  head.  But  he 
did  not  fail  to  hear  the  murmurs  of  the  crowd  which  had  only  been 


THE  EMPEROR  NAPOLEON.          353 

silent  so  long  as  it  had  seen  his  face,  and  which,  now  that  he  had 
turned  away,  gave  free  vent  to  its  grief  and  indignation. 

The  emperor  heard  painful  sighs  when  he  reached  his  barrack, 
and  sent  immediately  for  Roustan,  in  order  to  give  him  secret  in- 
structions. Thanks  to  these  instructions,  Roustan 's  agents  hastened 
all  day  through  the  city  of  Boulogne  and  through  the  camp  for  the 
purpose  of  distributing  money  in  the  name  of  the  emperor  wherever 
persons  were  lamenting  and  weeping,  or  where  gloomy  glances  and 
mourners  were  to  be  met  with,  thus  allaying  their  grief  by  means 
of  the  shining  magic  metal  which  heals  all  wounds  and  dries  all 
tears. 

The  emperor,  however,  had  still  a  more  effectual  charm  for  allay- 
ing the  indignation  of  the  crowd,  or  at  least  for  stirring  up  again 
the  jubilant  enthusiasm  of  his  soldiers. 

Telegraphic  dispatches  of  the  highest  importance  had  reached 
the  camp  ;  courier  after  courier  had  followed  them.  The  emperor 
assembled  all  his  generals  in  the  council-chamber  of  his  barrack, 
and  when  they  left  it,  after  a  consultation  of  several  hours,  the 
rumor  spread  through  the  camp  that  the  emperor  would  now  at 
length  utter  those  longed-for  words  and  lead  his  army  to  new  strug- 
gles, to  new  victories. 

These  joyful  tidings  spread  like  wildfire  among  the  troops ;  every 
one  hailed  them  with  a  radiant  face  and  merry  glances.  Every  one 
saw  himself  on  the  eve  of  fresh  honors  and  spoils,  and  only  asked 
whither  the  victorious  course  of  the  emperor  would  be  directed  this 
time — whether  to  England,  which  constantly  seemed  to  menace 
France  with  its  forest  of  masts,  or  whether  to  Austria,  whose  hostile 
friendship  might  have  been  distrusted. 

The  emperor  had  not  yet  spoken  the  decisive  words  to  any  mem- 
ber of  his  suite,  but  he  had  sent  for  the  grand-marshal  of  the  palace 
and  ordered  him  to  hold  every  thing  in  readiness  for  his  departure  ; 
to  settle  all  accounts  and  bills  against  the  emperor,  and  to  beware 
on  this  occasion  of  not  paying  too  much  to  any  one. 

On  the  day  after  receiving  these  orders,  the  grand -marshal, 
without  being  announced,  appeared  before  the  emperor,  who  was 
in  the  council- chamber  of  his  barrack,  engaged  in  studying  atten- 
tively the  maps  spread  out  on  the  large  table  before  him. 

Napoleon  only  looked  up  for  a  moment,  and  then  continued  to 
stick  pins  into  the  maps,  thus  designating  the  route  which  his  army 
was  to  take. 

"Well,  Duroc,"  he  asked,  "is  every  thing  ready  for  our  depar- 
ture? Have  all  bills  been  paid?" 

"  Sire,  they  are  all  paid  except  one,  and  I  must  dare  to  disturb 
your  majesty  in  relation  to  this  one  bill. " 


354  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"I  suppose  it  is  very  high  and  fraudulent?"  asked  the  emperor, 
hastily.  With  these  words  he  rose  and  approached  the  grand- 
marshal. 

"  Sire, "  said  the  latter,  "  I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  fraudulent 
or  not,  but  it  is  very  high.  It  is  the  bill  of  Military  Intendant 
Sordi,  who  built  this  barrack,  and  to  whom  its  fitting  up  had  been 
intrusted. " 

"Well,  how  much  does  he  charge  for  it?"  asked  Napoleon. 

"  Sire,  he  asks  fifty  thousand  francs. " 

"  Fifty  thousand  francs !"  exclaimed  Napoleon,  almost  in  terror. 
"I  hope  you  have  not  paid  this  impudent  bill?" 

"  No,  sire,  I  have  not ;  on  the  contrary,  I  requested  M.  Sordi  to 
reduce  the  sum. " 

"And  he  has  done  so,  of  course?"  exclaimed  Napoleon,  gloomily. 
"Just  like  these  men.  They  ask  us  to  confide  in  them,  and  yet  they 
try  on  every  occasion  to  cheat  us.  How  much  did  he  deduct  from 
his  bill?" 

"Nothing  at  all,  sire.  M.  Sordi  asserts  that  he  did  not  charge 
too  much  for  a  single  article ;  he  was  unable,  therefore,  to  make 
even  the  slightest  deduction. " 

"  And  so  you  have  paid  the  bill  ?" 

"  No,  sire,  I  said  that  I  could  not  pay  it  until  your  majesty  had 
given  me  express  orders  to  do  so. " 

"  Well  done, "  said  the  emperor,  nodding  to  him.  "  Send  word  to 
the  military  intendant  that  I  want  to  see  him  immediately.  I  wish 
to  talk  to  him  myself. " 

The  grand-marshal  withdrew,  and  Napoleon  returned  to  his 
maps.  He  continued  to  mark  them  with  long  rows  of  pins,  and  to 
draw  circles  and  straight  lines  on  them. 

"If  the  Austrians  are  bold  enough  to  advance,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, in  a  low  voice,  "  I  shall  beat  them  in  the  open  field ;  should 
they  remain  stationary  and  wait  for  me  to  attack  them,  I  shall  in- 
flict upon  them  a  crushing  defeat  at  Ulm.  It  is  time  for  me  to 
make  these  overbearing  Germans  feel  the  whole  weight  of  my  wrath, 
and,  as  they  have  spurned  my  friendship,  to  crush  them  by  my 
enmity.  That  little  Emperor  of  Austria  dares  to  menace  me  ;  I  shall 
prove  to  him  that  menacing  me  is  bringing  about  one's  own  ruin. 
I  shall  assemble  my  forces  here  in  this  plain,  and  here—" 

"Sire,  the  military  intendant,  M.  de  Sordi,  whom  your  majesty 
has  ordered  to  appear  before  you,"  said  the  emperor's  aide-de-camp, 
opening  the  door  of  the  council-chamber. 

"  Let  him  come  in, "  ejaculated  Napoleon,  without  averting  his 
eyes  from  the  map. 

The  aide-de-camp  retired,  and  the  tall,  powerful  form  of  Inten- 


THE  EMPEROR  NAPOLEON.          355 

dant  Sordi  appeared  in  the  door.  His  face  was  pale,  but  calm  ;  his 
features  indicated  boldness  and  a  fixed  purpose  ;  he  was  evidently 
conscious  of  the  importance  of  the  present  moment,  and  felt  that  it 
would  decide  his  whole  future. 

The  emperor  continued  scanning  his  maps.  M.  de  Sordi  stood  at 
the  door,  waiting  for  the  emperor  to  address  him.  When  he  saw 
that  the  latter  tarried  very  long,  he  advanced  a  step,  and,  as  if  acci- 
dentally, pushed  against  the  chair  standing  at  his  side. 

The  noise  aroused  Napoleon  from  his  meditation,  and  reminded 
him  of  the  person  he  had  sent  for. 

He  therefore  hastily  turned  around  to  him.  "Sir,"  he  said,  "you 
have  spent  a  great  deal  too  much  money  for  the  decoration  of  this 
miserable  barrack  ;  yes,  indeed,  a  great  deal  too  much.  Fifty  thou- 
sand francs!  What  do  you  mean,  sir?  That  is  frightful ;  I  shall 
not  pay  that  sum  !" 

M.  de  Sordi  met  the  flaming  glances  of  the  emperor  with  smiling 
calmness. 

"  Sire, "  he  said,  lifting  up  his  hand  and  pointing  at  the  ceiling, 
"  I  may  truthfully  say  that  the  clouds  of  gold  brocade  adorning  the 
ceiling  of  this  room,  and  surrounding  the  propitious  star  of  your 
majesty,  have  cost  alone  not  less  than  twenty-five  thousand  francs. 
Had  I  consulted,  however,  the  hearts  of  your  subjects,  the  imperial 
eagle,  which  now  again  will  crush  the  enemies  of  France  and  of 
your  throne,  would  have  spread  out  its  wings  amidst  the  most  mag- 
nificent and  precious  diamonds."* 

Napoleon  smiled.  "  Veiy  well, "  he  said  ;  "  you  believe  the  hearts 
of  my  subjects  to  be  very  prodigal.  I  am  not,  however,  and  I  repeat 
to  you  I  shall  not  pay  that  sum  now.  But  as  you  tell  me  that  this 
eagle,  which  costs  so  much  money,  will  crush  the  Austrians,  you 
will  doubtless  wait  until  it  has  done  so,  and  then  I  will  pay  your 
bill  with  the  rise-dollars  of  the  Emperor  of  Germany  and  the  Fred- 
ericks d'or  of  the  King  of  Prussia."! 

He  dismissed  him  smilingly  with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  and  re- 
turned to  his  maps. 

A  few  hours  later  Napoleon,  followed  by  all  his  generals  and 
adjutants,  repaired  to  the  camp.  Ascending  a  small  mound,  spe- 
cially prepared  for  the  occasion,  lie  surveyed  with  radiant  eyes  the 
surging,  motley,  and  brilliant  sea  of  soldiers  who  surrounded  him 
on  all  sides,  and  who  greeted  his  appearance  with  thundering  shouts 
of  exultation. 

*  The  ceiling  of  the  room  was  decorated  with  golden  clouds,  amidst  which,  on  a 
blue  ground,  was  an  eagle,  holding  a  thunderbolt,  and  pointing  it  at  a  star,  the  star 
of  the  emperor.— Constant,  vol.  i.,  p.  246. 

t  Napoleon's  own  words. — Constant,  vol.  i.,  p.  246. 

MUHLBACH — P  V"OL.     7 


356  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

A  wave  of  his  hand  commanded  them  to  be  still,  and,  as  if  fasci- 
nated by  a  magician's  wand,  the  roaring  masses  grew  dumb,  and 
profound  silence  ensued.  Amidst  this  silence,  Napoleon  raised  his 
clear,  ringing  voice,  and  its  sonorous  notes  swept  like  eagle-wings 
over  the  sea  of  soldiers. 

"Brave  soldiers  of  the  camp  of  Boulogne,"  he  said,  "you  will 
not  go  to  England.  The  gold  of  the  English  government  has  seduced 
the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and  he  has  again  declared  war  against 
France.  His  army  has  crossed  the  line  of  demarcation  assigned  to 
it,  and  inundated  Bavaria.  Soldiers,  fresh  laurels  are  awaiting  you 
beyond  the  Rhine ;  let  us  hasten  to  vanquish  once  more  enemies 
•whom  we  have  already  vanquished.  On  to  Germany  !"  * 

"On  to  Germany!"  shouted  the  soldiers,  jubilantly.  "On  to 
Germany !"  was  repeated  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  even  the  sea 
seemed  to  roar  with  delight  and  its  waves,  thundering  against  the 
beach,  to  shout,  "On  to  Germany !" 


CHAPTER    XLIII. 

NAPOLEON  AND  THE  GERMAN  PRINCES. 

THE  Emperor  of  France  with  his  army  had  crossed  the  bounda- 
ries of  Germany.  He  had  come  to  assist  his  ally,  the  Elector  of 
Bavaria,  against  the  Austrians  who  had  invaded  Bavaria ;  not, 
however,  in  order  to  menace  Bavaria,  but,  as  an  autograph  letter 
from  the  Emperor  Francis  to  the  elector  expressly  stated,  to  secure 
a  more  extended  and  better  protected  position. 

The  Elector  of  Bavaria,  Maximilian  Joseph,  had  declared,  in  a 
submissive  letter  to  the  Austrian  emperor,  that  he  was  perfectly 
willing  to  let  the  Austrian  regiments  encamp  within  his  dominions. 
"  I  pledge  my  word  as  a  sovereign  to  your  majesty, "  he  had  written 
to  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  "  that  I  shall  not  hinder  the  operations 
of  your  army  in  any  manner  whatever,  and  if,  what  is  improbable, 
however,  your  majesty  should  be  obliged  to  retreat  with  your  army, 
I  promise  and  swear  that  I  shall  remain  quiet  and  support  your  pro- 
jects in  every  respect.  But  I  implore  your  majesty  on  my  knees  to 
permit  me  graciously  to  maintain  the  strictest  neutrality.  It  is  a 
father,  driven  to  despair  by  anguish  and  care,  who  implores  your 
majesty's  mercy  in  favor  of  his  child.  My  son  is  just  now  travel- 
ling in  southern  France.  If  I  should  be  obliged  to  send  my  troops 
into  the  field  against  France  my  son  would  be  lost,  and  the  fate  of 
the  Duke  d'Enghien  would  be  in  store  for  him,  too;  if  I  should, 
*  Napoleon's  own  words. — Constant,  vol.  i.,  p.  282. 


NAPOLEON  AND  THE  GERMAN  PRINCES.          357 

however,  remain  quietly  and  peaceably  in  my  states,  I  should  gain 
time  for  my  son  to  return  from  France. "  * 

But  on  the  same  day,  and  with  the  same  pen,  on  which  the  ink 
with  which  he  had  written  to  the  Emperor  of  Germany  was  not  yet 
dry,  the  elector  had  also  written  to  the  Emperor  of  France  and  in- 
formed him  "  that  he  was  ready  to  place  himself  under  his  protec- 
tion, that  he  would  be  proud  to  become  the  ally  of  France,  and  that 
he  would  thenceforward  lay  himself  and  his  army  at  the  feet  of  the 
great  and  august  Emperor  of  France. " 

And  the  courier  who  [was  to  deliver  the  letter  with  the  sacred 
pledges  of  neutrality  to  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  had  not  yet 
reached  Vienna  when  the  Elector  of  Bavaria  secretly  fled  from 
Munich  to  Wurzburg,  where  his  army  of  twenty-five  thousand  men 
was  waiting  for  him. 

He  sent  his  army,  commanded  by  General  Deroy,  to  meet  the 
Emperor  of  the  French ;  it  was  not  to  attack  him  as  the  enemy  of 
Germany,  but  to  hail  him  as  an  ally  and  to  place  itself  under  his 
direction.  He  then  issued  a  proclamation. 

"We  have  separated  from  Austria,"  he  said,  "from  Austria, 
who  wanted  to  ensnare  and  annihilate  us  by  her  perfidious  schemes, 
and  to  compel  us  to  fight  at  her  side  for  foreign  interests ;  from 
Austria,  the  hereditary  foe  of  our  house  and  of  our  independence, 
who  is  just  now  going  to  make  another  attempt  to  devour  Bavaria, 
and  degrade  her  to  the  position  of  an  Austrian  province.  But  the 
Emperor  of  the  French,  Bavaria's  natural  ally,  hastened  to  the 
rescue  with  his  brave  warriors,  in  order  to  avenge  you  ;  your  sons 
will  soon  fight  at  the  side  of  men  accustomed  to  victory  ;  soon,  soon 
the  day  of  retribution  will  be  at  hand. "  f 

Thanks  to  the  hatred  of  the  Germans  against  their  German 
brethren,  thanks  to  the  hatred  of  the  Bavarians  against  the  Aus- 
trians,  this  proclamation  had  been  received  with  joyful  acclama- 
tions throughout  the  whole  state,  and  Bavaria  felt  proud  and  happy 
that  she  should  fight  under  the  Emperor  of  the  French,  her  "  natural 
ally, "  against  the  Emperor  of  Germany. 

The  French  army  was  drawn  up  in  line  in  the  plain  near  Nord- 
lingen,  in  order  to  solemnly  receive  its  German  auxiliaries.  They 
were  the  first  German  troops  that  Napoleon  had  gained  over  to  his 
side,  and  therefore  he  wished  to  welcome  them  pompously  and  with 
all  honors.  Amidst  the  jubilant  notes  of  all  the  bands  of  the  French 
army,  amidst  the  enthusiastic  shouts  of  the  French  soldiers,  the 
Bavarians  marched  into  the  French  camp.  The  emperor,  in  full 
uniform,  surrounded  by  all  his  generals,  welcomed  General  Beroy 

*  "  M£moires  sur  rintgrieur  du  Palais  de  Napol6on,"  by  De  Bausset,  voL  L,  p.  59. 
tHausser's  "  History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  611. 


358  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

and  the  Bavarian  officers ;  accompanied  by  a  wave  of  his  sword,  he 
said  to  them  : 

"  I  have  placed  myself  at  the  head  of  my  army  in  order  to  deliver 
your  country,  for  the  house  of  Austria  intends  to  annihilate  your 
independence.  You  will  follow  the  example  of  your  ancestors,  who 
constantly  preserved  that  independence  and  political  existence 
which  are  the  first  blessings  of  a  nation.  I  know  your  valor,  and 
am  sure  that  I  shall  be  able  after  the  first  battle  to  say  to  your  sov- 
ereign and  to  my  people,  that  you  are  worthy  to  fight  in  the  ranks 
of  the  grand  army. " 

The  Bavarian  soldiers  hailed  this  proud  address  with  the  same 
exultation  with  which  the  Bavarian  people  had  received  the  procla- 
mation of  the  elector  ;  and  never  had  the  French  soldiers  manifested 
greater  enthusiasm  for  their  chieftain  and  emperor  than  did  these 
German  soldiers,  the  first  German  auxiliaries  of  the  emperor. 

Napoleon  received  their  jubilant  shouts  with  a  gracious  smile. 

"  Duroc, "  he  said,  turning  to  his  friend  and  comrade,  who  was 
riding  at  his  side — "  Duroc,  listen  to  what  I  am  going  to  say  to  you. 
The  Germans  are  not  good  patriots ;  they  are  capable  of  loving  the 
conqueror  of  their  country  just  as  well  as  their  legitimate  sovereign. 
Even  at  the  time  of.  Julius  Caesar  there  was  no  harmony  among  the 
Germans ;  and  while  Arminius  opposed  the  Romans  heroically, 
Segestes  declared  in  favor  of  them.  If,  as  a  modern  Julius  Caesar, 
I  should  wish  to  conquer  Germany,  I  believe  I  should  find  there  no 
Arminius,  but  certainly  many  Segesteses." 

"  But,  perhaps,  a  few  Thusneldas,  sire, "  said  Duroc,  laughing ; 
"and  your  majesty  knows  full  well  that  it  was  Thusnelda,  after 
all,  who  filled  her  husband  with  so  undying  a  hatred  against  the 
Romans. " 

"And  the  son  of  Thusnelda  became  a  prisoner  of  the  Romans!" 
exclaimed  Napoleon  ;  "  he  became  a  miserable  slave  of  the  Romans, 
and  preferred  a  life  of  humiliation  and  disgrace  to  an  honorable 
death.  The  Germans  are  great  talkers ;  they  are  always  ready  to 
fight  with  their  tongues  for  the  honor  of  their  country,  but  they  do 
not  like  to  die  for  it.  But  who  are  the  Thusneldas  with  whom  you 
threatened  me?  Did  you  allude  to  Queen  Caroline  of  Naples,  the 
daughter  of  Maria  Theresa?" 

"  Oh,  no,  sire ;  she  is  no  longer  a  German,  but  an  Italian 
intriguer — a — " 

"She  is,  as  I  told  her  own  ambassador  in  Milan,  a  modern 
Athalia,  a  daughter  of  Jezebel,"  said  Napoleon,  interrupting  him 
vehemently.  "But  patience,  patience,  I  shall  punish  her  for  her 
bitter  hatred  and  intrigues. " 

"  Sire,  it  was  in  your  power  to  receive  ardent  love  at  the  hands 


NAPOLEON  AND  THE  GERMAN  PRINCES  359 

of  Queen  Caroline,  instead  of  her  hatred,  which  is,  perhaps,  nothing 
but  concealed  love.  I  suppose  your  majesty  knows  what  the  queen 
said  only  a  few  years  ago  to  the  French  minister?" 

"  No,  I  do  not,  or  perhaps  I  have  only  forgotten  it, "  replied  Na- 
poleon, carelessly.  "  Did  she  want  to  make  a,  postilion  d' amour  of 
him?" 

"  Nearly  so,  sire.  She  told  him  she  would  willingly  travel  four 
hundred  leagues  in  order  to  see  General  Bonaparte.  She  added  that 
you  were  the  only  great  man  in  the  world,  and  none  but  idiots  were 
seated  at  the  present  time  on  all  the  thrones  of  Europe. "  * 

"A  very  flattering  remark  for  her  husband  and  for  her  nephew, 
the  Emperor  of  Austria, "  said  Napoleon.  "  She  referred,  however, 
only  to  those  who  are  seated  on  thrones,  but  the  tender  queen  has 
been  able  to  discover  a  few  real  men  by  the  side  of  her  husband's 
throne.  I  have  never  hankered  after  becoming  the  rival  of  Acton 
and  Nelson.  I  do  not  like  passionate  and  ambitious  women.  They 
must  be  gentle  and  charming  like  Josephine  if  they  are  to  please 
me." 

"  I  wish  the  empress  were  here  and  able  to  hear  your  words, "  ex- 
claimed Duroc. 

"  Does  she  again  doubt  my  constancy  ?"  asked  Napoleon,  quickly. 
"Have  my  brothers  again  frightened  her  by  threats  of  a  divorce? 
Let  her  be  reassured,  I  do  not  think  of  a  separation  from  her,  and 
all  the  Thusneldas  of  Germany  cannot  become  dangerous  to  me. 
But  you  have  not  yet  told  me  the  names  of  those  Thusneldas.  Let 
me  hear  them. " 

"  Sire,  first  there  is  the  beautiful  Queen  of  Prussia.  She  is  said 
to  be  a  bitter  enemy  of  France. " 

"Yes,  a  bitter  enemy  of  mine!"  exclaimed  Napoleon,  with  a 
gloomy  and  threatening  glance  ;  "  a  short-sighted  woman,  who  does 
not  see  that  she  will  ruin  her  good-natured,  weak,  and  irresolute 
husband  if  she  carries  him  along  with  her  on  this  path  of  hostility 
and  hatred.  She  will  repent  one  day  having  scorned  my  friend- 
ship, for,  if  she  succeeds  in  gaining  her  husband  over  to  an  alliance 
with  Russia,  I  shall  be  inexorable,  and  mercilessly  trample  the 
whole  vacillating  and  fickle  Prussia  in  the  dust.  And  do  you  still 
know  of  another  Thusnelda?" 

"  Yes,  sire ;  it  is  the  wife  of  the  Elector  Frederick  of  Wurtem- 
berg,  who  is  also  said  to  have  filled  her  husband  with  ardent  hatred 
against  France,  and  with  fervent  patriotism  for  Germany.  The 
elector  and  electress  are  reported  to  have  taken  a  solemn  oath  in 
the  presence  of  their  whole  court  never  to  bow  or  submit  to  France, 
and  never  to  prove  recreant  to  the  interests  of  Germany. " 
*  Queen  Caroline  actually  said  this  to  the  French  minister. 


360  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  I  shall  compel  them  to  believe  that  the  interests  of  Germany 
require  them  to  bow  to  France  and  to  become  our  allies  !"  exclaimed 
Napoleon,  proudly.  "  The  electress  of  Wurtemberg  is  a  daughter  of 
George  the  Third  of  England,  a  daughter  of  my  mortal  enemy; 
hence,  she  shall  bow  to  me  or  feel  my  power  and  my  wrath.  The 
time  for  hesitation  and  procrastination  is  over.  I  want  to  have  my 
friends  at  my  side  and  my  enemies  opposite  me.  Let  the  German 
princes  choose  whether  they  will  go  with  France  against  Austria, 
their  common  despot,  or  whether,  like  Austria,  they  wished  to  be 
conquered  by  France !  We  shall  see  which  side  Wurtemberg  will 
espouse,  for  Ney  is  already  with  his  corps  on  the  road  to  Stuttgart, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  I  shall  pay  a  visit  to  the  elector  and 
electress  at  their  own  palace. " 

And  a  few  days  later  Napoleon  really  kept  his  word  :  he  paid  a 
visit  to  the  elector  and  electress  at  Louisburg,  after  Ney  had  com- 
pelled the  government  of  Wurtemberg  to  open  the  gates  of  Stuttgart 
to  his  troops. 

The  elector  received  the  emperor  at  the  foot  of  the  palace  stair- 
case, where  only  an  hour  ago  he  had  assured  his  courtiers  he  would 
not  receive  the  upstart  Napoleon  as  an  equal  and  shake  hands  with 
him  ;  but  as  Napoleon  now  saluted  him  with  a  kind  nod,  and  gave 
him  his  hand,  the  elector  bowed  so  deeply  and  respectfully  that  it 
almost  looked  as  if  he  wished  to  kiss  the  small,  white,  imperial 
hand  which  he  bad  seized  so  joyfully  and  reverentially.* 

The  electress,  who  entered  at  the  side  of  her  husband,  received 
the  emperor  in  the  large  and  brilliant  throne-room  of  the  palace. 
Her  face  was  pale  and  gloomy  when  she  bowed  ceremoniously  to  the 
hereditary  foe  of  her  house,  and  not  the  faintest  tinge  of  a  smile 
was  to  be  seen  on  her  lips  when  she  replied  to  the  emperor's  address. 

Napoleon's  face,  however,  was  strangely  mild  and  winning  to- 
day, and  yet  radiant  with  dignity  and  grandeur.  It  was  the  face 
of  a  conqueror  who  does  not  intend  to  treat  those  whom  he  has 
subjugated  with  arrogance  and  rigor,  but  desires  to  win  their  affec- 
tion by  gentleness  and  love.  Hence,  his  eyes  had  only  mild  and 
kind  glances,  and  on  his  finely-formed  lips  there  was  playing  that 
smile  which  the  Empress  Josephine  said  was  the  sunbeam  cf  his 
face,  and  irresistible  to  any  woman. 

Nor  was  the  electress  able  to  withstand  this  smile  and  this  kind 
bearing  of  Napoleon.  She  had  expected  to  find  in  the  emperor  an 
ardent  enemy  of  her  native  England,  and  he  now  paid  a  glowing 
and  eloquent  tribute  to  the  English,  to  their  country,  to  their 
institutions  and  character.  Napoleon  had  been  described  to  her  as 
a  barbarian,  taking  interest  only  in  warfare  and  every  thing  con- 
*  "  Memoirs  of  General  tie  Wolzogen,"  y.  24. 


NAPOLEON  AND  THE  GERMAN  PRINCES.  361 

nected  with  it;  and  now  she  found  him  to  be  an  admirer  of  the 
English  poets,  and  heard  him  expatiate  enthusiastically  on  Ossian, 
some  of  whose  most  magnificent  verses  he  recited  to  her  in  a  French 
translation. 

The  stern  features  of  the  electress  gradually  began  to  relax  ;  the 
smile  gradually  returned  to  her  lips,  and  she  bent  her  proud  head 
more  graciously  to  the  "  upstart"  Napoleon. 

"Oh,  sire!"  she  exclaimed,  joyfully,  and  for  the  first  time  she 
did  not  avoid  addressing  him  with  the  title  due  to  his  rank — "  oh, 
sire,  he  who  admires  the  English  poets  so  enthusiastically  cannot 
possibly  be  an  enemy  of  England  !" 

"I  am- not  by  any  means,"  said  Napoleon,  smiling;  "I  know  no 
enmity  whatever  ;  peace  is  the  sole  aim  of  my  efforts,  and  I"believe 
Fate  hasisent  me  to  mankind  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  eternal 
peace.  It  is  true,  I  have  to  conquer  peace  by  wars  and  commotions, 
but  I  shall  conquer  it,  and  you,  princess,  you  and  your  husband 
must^help  me  to  do  so.  I  intrust  to  your  hands  a  noble  task,  which 
the  high-minded  and  proud  daughter  of  England  is  worthy  of,  and 
the  German  elector  will  not  hinder  the  noble  endeavors  of  his  wife, 
especially  as  the  honor  and  welfare  of  Germany  are  at  stake. " 

"I  am  ready  and  willing  to  do  for  Germany  what  I  can,  and 
whatever  your  majesty  may  command  me  to  do, "  exclaimed  the 
elector.  "  Will  your  majesty  now  tell  me  what  I  must  do?" 

"You  must  conclude  an  alliance  with  France,  in  order  to  save 
Germany, "  said  the  emperor,  almost  sternly. 

"Sire,  I  have  not  the  power  to  conclude  such  an  alliance — I  am 
unable  to  do  so, "  said  the  elector,  sighing. 

"  Your  state  can  if  you  cannot, "  said  Napoleon,  quickly. 

"  But  the  representatives  of  my  people  will  not  consent. " 

"  I  shall  protect  you  against  these  representatives  of  your  people. 
You  will  tell  them,  besides,  that  you  have  saved  Wurtemberg  by 
becoming  my  ally.  For  he  who  is  not  for  me  is  against  me,  and  I 
shall  annihilate  those  who  are  against  me,  and  their  states  shall  fall 
to  ruin.  Those,  however,  who  are  for  me  I  shall  elevate,  and  it 
seems  to  me  I  see  already  a  royal  crown  on  the  noble  brow  of  the 
electress.  I  suppose,"  asked  Napoleon,  turning  again  with  a  smile 
toward  the  electress,  "  your  royal  highness  would  not  be  dissatisfied 
if  you  should  become  the  queen  of  your  people  ;  it  would  be  agree- 
able to  you  to  be  called  'your  majesty, '  and  if  it  were  only  because 
it  would  remind  you  in  so  pleasant  a  manner  of  your  royal  parents 
who  are  addressed  with  the  same  title?" 

"Oh,  sire,"  exclaimed  the  electress,  with  radiant  eyes,  and 
unable  to  conceal  her  joy — "  oh,  sire,  you  are  right,  it  would  remind 
me  most  pleasantly  of  my  paternal  home  and  of  England. " 


362  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  But  would  not  a  royal  crown  crush  my  state  which  is  too  smaH 
for  it?"  asked  the  elector. 

"  Well,  we  shall  enlarge  it  so  as  to  render  it  'able  and  worthy  to 
support  a  royal  crown, "  exclaimed  Napoleon,  hastily.  "  I  believe  I 
shall  have  the  power  and  opportunity  to  bestow  on  my  ally,  the 
elector  of  Wurtemberg,  some  aggrandizements  in  Germany  to  com- 
pensate and  reward  him  for  the  auxiliaries  which  he  is  to  furnish 
to  me.  Besides,  your  task  is  a  truly  grand  one.  You  shall  assist 
me  in  subduing  Austria,  that  arrogant  Austria  which  would  like  to 
treat  all  Germany  as  her  property,  and  who  considers  all  German 
princes  as  her  servants  and  vassals. " 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  elector,  vehemently;  "Austria  con- 
stantly endeavors  to  meddle  with  my  prerogatives  in  an  unbecom- 
ing and  arrogant  manner.  "  She  would  like  to  degrade  us  to  the 
position  of  vassals  who  must  always  be  ready  to  obey  their  emperor, 
but  who,  when  they  are  themselves  in  danger,  never  can  count  on 
the  assistance  and  support  of  their  emperor. " 

"  Let  us,  then,  dispel  Austria's  illusion  as  though  she  were  your 
master,"  said  Napoleon,  smiling.  "Become  my  ally,  and  believe 
me,  we  shall  have  the  power  to  teach  the  Emperor  of  Austria  to 
respect  the  King  of  Wurtemberg,  my  ally.  Will  you  be  my  ally  for 
that  purpose?  Will  you  assist  me,  as  a  German  prince,  in  deliver- 
ing Germany  from  the  yoke  Austria  has  laid  around  her  neck?" 

"Sire,  I  am  ready  to  save  Germany  with  my  life-blood!"  ex- 
claimed the  elector,  "and  as  your  majesty  has  come  to  deliver  Ger- 
many from  Austria,  it  would  be  a  crime  for  any  German  prince  to 
withhold  his  assistance  from  you.  Hence,  I  accept  your  alliance. 
Here  is  my  hand !  I  shall  stand  by  you  with  my  troops  and  with 
my  honor  1"  * 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

QUEEN  LOUISA'S  PIANO  LESSON. 

THE  queen  sat  at  the  piano,  practising  one  of  Reichardt's  new 
songs  which  her  singing-teacher,  the  royal  concert -master  and  com- 
poser, Himmel,  had  just  brought  to  her.  The  queen  wore  a  most 
brilliant  costume,  which,  however,  seemed  calculated  less  for  her 
silent  cabinet  and  for  the  music-teacher  than  for  a  great  gala-day 

*  The  whole  account  of  this  interview  is  strictly  historical.  Vide  "  Memoirs  of  Gen- 
eral de  Wolzogen,"  and  Hausser's  "  History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  613.  The  Elector 
of  Wurtemberg  became  the  third  German  ally  of  the  French  emperor,  the  Electors 
of  Bavaria  and  Baden  having  preceded  him.  He  furnished  ten  thousand  Ger- 
man troops  to  Napoleon. 


QUEEN  LOUISA'S  PIANO  LESSON.  363 

and  an  aristocratic  assembly  at  court.  A  white  satin  dress,  inter- 
woven with  golden  flowers,  and  closely  fitting,  according  to  the 
fashion  of  that  period,  surrounded  her  noble  figure.  Her  splendid 
white  arms  were  bare,  and  her  wrists  were  adorned  with  two  brace- 
lets of  gold  and  precious  stones.  Her  neck  and  shoulders,  showing 
the  noble  lines  «nd  forms  of  a  Venus  of  Melos,  were  uncovered  like 
her  arms,  and  adorned  only  with  jewelry.  Her  hair,  surrounding 
a  forehead  of  classical  beauty  in  waving  masses,  was  fastened  be- 
hind in  a  Grecian  knot  holding  the  golden  diadem,  set  with 
diamonds,  which  arose  on  the  queen's  head.*  A  gentle  blush  man- 
tled her  cheeks,  and  a  smile  of  melancholy  and  tenderness  trembled 
on  her  purple  lips.  She  had  her  hands  on  the  keys,  and  her  eyes 
were  fixed  on  the  music- book  before  her ;  but  she  had  suddenly 
ceased  singing  in  the  middle  of  the  piece,  and  her  voice  had  died 
away  in  a  long  sigh. 

Mr.  Himmel,  the  concert-master,  stood  behind  her ;  he  was  a  man 
more  than  forty  years  of  age,  with  a  broad,  full  face,  beaming  with 
health,  and  a  tall  and  slender  form  which  would  have  been  more 
fitting  for  the  head  of  an  Apollo  than  for  this  head,  which  reminded 
the  beholder  of  a  buffalo  rather  than  of  a  god. 

When  the  queen  paused,  a  joyful  smile  overspread  his  features, 
which  had  hitherto  been  gloomy  and  ill  at  ease.  "Your  majesty 
pauses?"  he  asked,  hastily.  "Well,  I  wish  your  majesty  joy  of  it. 
That  Mr.  Reichardt,  of  Halle,  is  too  sentimental  and  arrogant  a  com- 
poser, and  never  should  I  have  dared  to  lay  these  new  pieces  of  his 
before  your  majesty  if  you  had  not  asked  me  to  bring  you  every 
thing  written  by  Reichardt.  Well,  you  have  seen  it  now ;  it  dis- 
pleases your  majesty,  and  I  am  glad  of  it,  for — " 

"For,"  said  the  queen,  gently  interrupting  him,  "for  the  great 
composer  Himmel  is  again  jealous  of  the  great  composer  Reichardt. 
Is  it  not  so?" 

She  raised  her  dark-blue  eyes  at  this  question  to  Himmel'  s  face, 
and  lie  saw  to  his  dismay  that  there  were  tears  in  those  eyes. 

"What !"  he  asked  in  terror,  "your  majesty  has  wept?" 

She  nodded  in  the  affirmative,  smiling  gently.  "  Yes, "  she  said, 
after  a  pause,  "  I  have  wept,  and  hence  I  could  not  continue  singing. 
Do  not  scold  me,  do  not  be  angry  with  me,  my  dear  and  stern 
teacher.  This  song  has  moved  me  profoundly ;  it  is  so  simple  and 
yet  so  touching,  that  it  must  have  come  out  of  the  depths  of  a  truly 
noble  heart. " 

Mr.  Himmel  replied  only  with  a  low  sigh  and  an  almost  inau- 
dible murmur,  which  the  queen,  however,  understood  very  well. 

*  A  portrait,  representing  the  queen  precisely  in  this  costume,  may  be  seen  at  the 
royal  palace  in  Berlin. 


364  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  Perhaps, "  she  said,  trying  gently  to  heal  the  jealous  pangs  of 
the  composer,  "  perhaps  I  was  so  deeply  moved  by  the  words  rather 
than  by  the  music ;  these  words  are  so  beautiful  that  it  seems  to  me 
Goethe  never  wrote  any  thing  more  beautiful. " 

And  bending  over  the  music-book,  she  read  in  an  undertone : 

"  Wer  nie  sein  Brod  mit  ThrSnen  ass, 
Wer  nie  die  kummervollen  Nfichte 
Auf  seiiiem  Bette  einsam  sass, 
Der  kennt  euch  nicht,  Ihr  himmlischen  Machte!"  * 

"  Say  yourself ,  Mr.  Himmel,  is  not  that  beautiful  and  touching?" 
she  asked,  looking  up  again  to  her  teacher. 

"  Beautiful  and  touching  for  those  who  have  wept  much  and  suf- 
fered much, "  said  Himmel,  harshly ;  "  but  I  cannot  conceive  why 
these  words  should  touch  your  majesty,  whose  whole  life  has  hitherto 
illuminated  the  world  like  an  uninterrupted  sunny  spring  morning. " 

"Hitherto,"  repeated  the  queen,  musingly,  "yes,  hitherto,  in- 
deed, my  life  was  a  sunny  spring  morning,  but  who  is  able  to  fathom 
what  clouds  may  soon  appear  on  the  horizon,  and  how  cloudy  and 
gloomy  the  evening  may  be?  This  song  reechoes  in  my  soul  like  a 
melancholy  foreboding,  and  clings  to  its  wings  as  if  it  wanted  to 
paralyze  their  flight.  'He  who  never  ate  his  bread  with  tears, '  ah, 
how  mournful  it  sounds,  and  what  a  long  story  of  suffering  is  con- 
tained in  these  few  words  !" 

The  queen  paused,  and  two  tears,  glistening  more  beautifully 
than  the  diamonds  of  her  golden  diadem,  slowly  ran  down  her 
cheeks. 

Concert -master  Himmel  was  not  courageous  enough  to  interrupt 
the  silence  of  the  queen,  or,  may  be,  he  had  not  listened  very  atten- 
tively to  her  words,  and  his  thoughts  perhaps  were  fixed  on  matters 
of  an  entirely  different  character,  for  his  air  was  absent  and  gloomy  ; 
his  eyes  glanced  around  the  room,  but  returned  continually  to  the 
lovely  form  of  the  queen. 

Suddenly  Louisa  seemed  to  arouse  herself  violently  from  her 
gloomy  meditation,  and  after  hastily  wiping  the  tears  from  her  eyes 
she  forced  herself  to  smile. 

"  It  is  not  good  to  give  way  to  melancholy  forebodings, "  she  said, 
"  particularly  in  the  presence  of  a  stern  teacher.  We  must  improve 
our  time  in  a  more  useful  manner,  for  time  is  a  very  precious  thing ; 
and  if  I  had  not  judiciously  profited  by  my  short  leisure  to-day,  I 
should  not  have  had  a  single  hour  to  spare  for  rny  teacher,  for  there 

*  "He  who  never  ate  his  bread  with  tears, 
He  who  never,  through  nights  of  affliction, 
Sat  on  his  lonely  bed. 
He  does  not  know  you,  powers  of  heaven  1 " 


QUEEN  LOUISA'S  PIANO  LESSON.  365 

will  be  a  reception  in  the  palace  to-night,  and  I  must  previously 
give  audience  to  several  visitors.  I  have,  therefore,  made  my  even- 
ing toilet  in  the  afternoon,  and  thereby  gained  time  to  take  my  dear 
singing-lesson.  But  now  let  us  study,  so  that  your  pupil  may  re- 
dound to  your  honor. " 

"Oh,  your  majesty,"  ejaculated  Himmel,  "my  honor  and  my 
happiness !" 

"  Hush,  hush, "  said  Louisa,  interrupting  him,  with  an  enchanting 
smile,  "no  flattery!  no  court-phrases!  Here  I  am  not  the  queen, 
nor  are  you  my  devoted  subject ;  I  am  nothing  but  an  obedient  pupil, 
and  you  are  my  rigorous  master,  who  has  a  right  to  scold  and  grum- 
ble whenever  I  sing  incorrectly,  and  who  very  frequently  avails 
himself  of  this  privilege.  Do  not  apologize  for  it,  but  go  on  in  the 
same  manner,  for  I  will  then  only  learn  the  more. " 

"  Your  majesty  sings  like  an  angel, "  murmured  Himmel,  whose 
eyes  were  fixed  steadfastly  on  the  queen. 

"Well,  as  far  as  that  is  concerned,  you  are  a  competent  judge," 
exclaimed  Lousia,  laughing,  "for  being  Himmel  (heaven),  you 
must  know  how  the  angels  sing,  and  your  opinion  cannot  be  dis- 
puted. The  angels,  then,  sing  incorrectly,  like  your  obedient  pupil? 
Let  the  angels  do  so,  but  not  your  pupil.  Come,  Mr.  Himmel,  sit 
down.  It  does  not  behoove  the  maestro  to  stand  at  the  side  of  his 
pupil.  Sit  down. " 

She  pointed  with  a  graceful  wave  of  her  hand  at  the  chair  stand- 
ing at  her  side,  and  Mr.  Himmel,  complying  with  her  order,  sat 
down.  His  glances  returned  involuntarily  to  the  queen,  whose 
beauty  only  now  burst  on  his  short-sighted  eyes,  and  whom  he  be- 
lieved he  had  never  seen  so  lovely,  so  fascinating  and  graceful.  Her 
beautiful  face  seemed  to  him  like  that  of  a  fairy  queen,  and  her 
wonderful  shoulders,  her  superb,  dazzling  neck,  which  he  had  never 
seen  unveiled  and  so  very  near,  appeared  to  him  like  the  bust  of  a 
goddess,  moulded  by  Phidias  from  living  marble. 

"  Well,  let  us  commence, "  said  the  queen,  calmly.  "  Pray  play 
the  melody  in  the  treble  and  let  me  play  the  accompaniment  a  few 
times  ;  I  shall  then  be  better  able  to  sing  the  song. " 

She  commenced  eagerly  playing  the  prelude,  while  a  deeper 
blush  mantled  her  cheeks.  It  was  Himmel' s  turn  now  to  begin  with 
the  melody  ;  his  eyes,  however,  were  not  fixed  on  the  music,  but  on 
the  queen,  and  hence  he  blundered  sadly. 

"Well?"  asked  the  queen,  looking  at  him  in  charming  confusion. 
"  You  do  not  play  correctly. " 

"  Yes,  I  have  blundered,  your  majesty, "  said  Himmel,  gloomily ; 
"  I  have  blundered,  for  I  am  only  a  man  after  all,  and  cannot  look 
into  the  sun  without  having  a  coup  de  soleil.  Your  majesty,  I  have 


366  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

had  such  a  coup  de  soleil,  and  you  see  I  have  lost  my  reason  in  conse- 
quence. " 

With  these  words  he  bent  over  the  queen  and  imprinted  a  glow- 
ing kiss  on  her  shoulders ;  then  he  hastily  rose,  took  his  hat,  and 
rushed  out  of  the  room.  * 

The  queen's  eyes  followed  him  with  an  air  of  surprise  and  em- 
barrassment ;  then  she  burst  into  ringing,  charming  laughter. 

"  Ah, "  she  said,  "  if  that  austere  '  Madame  Etiquette, '  the  mistress 
of  ceremonies,  should  have  seen  that,  she  would  have  either  died 
with  horror,  or  her  wrath  would  have  crushed  the  criminal.  I  be- 
lieve I  will  confess  the  terrible  crime  to  her.  Oh,  my  dear  mistress 
of  ceremonies  !  my  dear  mistress  of  ceremonies  !"  she  cried. 

The  door  of  the  adjoining  room  opened  immediately,  and  the 
Countess  von  Voss  made  her  appearance. 

"Your  majesty  has  called  me,"  she  said,  and,  after  looking 
around  the  room,  she  cast  a  glance  of  surprise  on  the  clock. 

"Ah,  my  dear  countess,  you  are  surprised  that  Mr.  Himmel,  my 
singing-master,  has  already  left,  although  the  hour  has  only  half 
expired?"  asked  the  queen,  merrily. 

"  Your  majesty, "  said  the  countess,  sighing,  "  I  really  ought  no 
longer  to  be  surprised  at  any  thing,  nor  wonder  at  any  violation  of 
etiquette,  for  such  things,  unfortunately,  occur  every  day  and  every 
hour.  Your  majesty  knows,  moreover,  that  this  Mr.  Himmel  is 
altogether  distasteful  to  me. " 

"And  why?"  asked  the  queen,  gayly. 

"  Your  majesty,  because  it  is  contrary  to  etiquette  for  a  queen  to 
take  lessons,  and  to  have  a  teacher. " 

"What!"  exclaimed  Louisa.  "According  to  etiquette,  then,  a 
queen  is  not  permitted  to  learn  any  thing  after  ascending  the 
throne?" 

"No,  your  majesty,  for  it  is  entirely  unbecoming  that  one  of 
your  subjects  should  become  the  teacher  of  his  queen,  and  that  any- 
body should  be  permitted  and  dare  to  censure  her. " 

"Well,  do  not  you  do  so  very  often,  my  dear  countess?"  asked 
the  queen,  good-naturedly. 

"I  dare  not  censure  the  queen,  but  merely  to  defend  and  main- 
tain etiquette,  as  my  duty  and  official  position  require  me  to  do. 
But  a  queen  who  takes  lessons  must  descend  from  her  throne  so  long 
as  her  teacher  is  with  her  ;  must  renounce  her  exalted  position,  and 
obey  instead  of  commanding.  In  such  a  case,  therefore,  etiquette 
is  altogether  out  of  the  question. " 

"You  are  right,"  said  Louisa,  merrily.  "Mr.  Himmel,  the 
concert-master,  at  least,  entirely  coincides  with  you,  and  he  takes 

'Historical. 


QUEEN  LOUISA'S  PIANO  LESSON.  367 

no  notice  whatever  of  etiquette.  Shall  I  confess  to  you,  my  dear 
countess,  why  Mr.  Himmel  has  run  away  to-day  half  an  hour  before 
the  regular  time?" 

"Run  away?"  asked  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  in  dismay.  "He 
has  dared  to  run  away  in  the  presence  of  your  majesty  ?" 

"  Yes,  he  has  dared  to  do  so,  but  previously  he  has  dared  to  do 
something  a  great  deal  worse.  He  has — but,  dear  countess,  sit 
down ;  you  might  turn  giddy. " 

"  Oh  no,  your  majesty,  permit  me  to  stand.  Your  majesty  was 
going  to  communicate  graciously  to  me  what  Mr.  Himmel — this 
teacher  of  a  queen  is  not  even  a  nobleman — has  dared  to  do  in  the 
presence  of  your  majesty. " 

"Well,  listen  to  me,"  said  the  queen,  smiling;  and  bending 
down  closely  to  the  ear  of  the  countess,  she  whispered :  "  He  has 
kissed  my  shoulder !" 

The  mistress  of  ceremonies  uttered  a  piercing  cry  and  tottered 
back  in  dismay. 

"  Kissed  1"  she  faltered. 

"  Yes,  kissed, "  sighed  the  queen  ;  "  I  really  believe  it  is  still  to 
be  seen. " 

She  walked  with  light,  swinging  steps  to  the  large  looking-glass, 
and  looked  at  her  shoulder  with  a  charming,  child-like  smile. 

"Yes,  that  small  red  spot  there  is  Mr.  Himmel's  crime!"  she 
said.  "  Tell  me  what  punishment  he  has  deserved,  countess. " 

"That  is  a  question  for  the  courts  alone  to  decide, "  said  the  mis- 
tress of  ceremonies,  solemnly  ;  "for  we  shall  bring  the  occurrence,  of 
course,  at  once  to  their  notice.  Orders  should  be  issued  imme- 
diately to  arrest  him,  and  his  punishment  should  be  as  unparalleled 
as  was  his  offence.  Your  majesty  will  permit  me  to  repair  at  once 
to  the  king  in  order — " 

"  No,  my  dear  mistress  of  ceremonies, "  said  the  queen,  who  was 
still  standing  in  front  of  the  looking-glass  and  contemplating  her 
own  form,  not  with  the  contented  looks  of  a  conceited  woman,  but 
with  the  calm,  stern  eyes  of  a  critic  examining  a  work  of  art — "no, 
my  dear  mistress  of  ceremonies,  we  shall  take  good  care  not  to  raise 
a  hue  and  cry  about  it.  And  Mr.  Himmel  is  not  so  culpable,  after 
all,  as  he  seems  to  be. " 

"  What !     Your  majesty  intends  to  defend  him?" 

"  Not  to  defend,  but  to  excuse  him,  my  dear  countess.  He  was 
at  my  side  as  my  dear  old  teacher,  and  I  was  to  him  not  a  queen, 
but  a  pupil ;  and,  moreover,  a  pupil  with  very  beautiful  shoulders. 
My  dear  countess,  I  am  really  more  culpable  than  poor  Himmel,  for, 
if  the  queen  becomes  a  pupil,  she  must  remember  that  her  teacher  is 
a  man,  and  she  must  not  treat  him  merely  as  an  automaton  instruct- 


368  LOUISA  OF  PRUSSIA. 

ing  her.  The  only  judge  who  is  able  to  decide  this  matter  is  my 
husband,  the«king.  He  shall  pronounce  judgment  on  it,  and  if  he 
permits  Mr.  Himmel  to  come  back,  I  shall  go  on  with  my  singing- 
lessons.  However,"  added  the  queen,  smiling,  and  blushing  deli- 
cately, "  in  future  I  shall  wrap  a  shawl  around  my  shoulders.  And 
now,  my  dear  countess,  pray  let  us  not  mention  this  little  affair  to 
anybody.  I  shall  submit  it  to  the  king  and  ask  him  to  decide  it. " 

"  I  shall  be  silent  because  your  majesty  orders  me  to  keep  the 
occurrence  secret,"  sighed  the  countess.  "But  it  is  unheard-of,  it 
is  dreadful.  It  is  rank  treason,  and  the  offended  royal  majesty 
will  forgive  without  punishing. " 

"Oh,  yes,  I  will!"  exclaimed  the  queen,  joyfully.  "Forgiving 
without  punishing,  is  not  that  the  most  sacred  and  sublime  power 
of  a  queen;  is  it  not  the  most  brilliant  gem  in  our  crown?  How 
miserable  and  deplorable  would  monarchs  be  if  God  had  not  con- 
ferred the  right  of  mercy  upon  them  !  We  stand  ourselves  so  much 
in  need  of  mercy  and  forbearance,  for  we  commit  errors  and  faults 
like  other  mortals,  and  yet  we  judge  and  punish  like  gods.  Let  us 
be  merciful,  therefore,  that  we  may  be  judged  mercifully. " 

The  door  of  the  anteroom  opened  at  this  moment,  and  the  cham- 
berlain-in-waiting  entered. 

"  Your  majesty, "  he  said,  u  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand  and  Minister 
von  Hardenberg  beg  leave  to  "wait  on  your  majesty. " 

"  I  expected  these  gentlemen  at  this  hour, "  said  the  queen,  glanc- 
ing at  the  clock  ;  "  let  them  come  in,  therefore.  And  you,  my  dear 
countess,  farewell." 

"Your  majesty  orders  me  to  withdraw?"  asked  the  mistress  of 
ceremonies,  hesitatingly.  "  Etiquette  requires  that  the  queen  should 
give  her  audiences  only  in  the  presence  of  her  mistress  of  ceremo- 
nies, or  of  one  of  her  ladies  of  honor. " 

"My  dear  countess,"  said  the  queen,  with  a  slight  tinge  of  impa- 
tience, "  I  am  not  going  to  give  any  audience,  but  merely  to  receive 
a  friendly  visit  from  my  royal  cousin  and  his  friend  ;  as  I  know  it 
is  their  intention  to  communicate  to  me  matters  which  no  one  except 
myself  can  hear,  I  shall  receive  them  alone.  Hence  be  so  kind  as  to 
withdraw. " 

"  His  royal  highness  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand  and  his  excellency 
Minister  von  Hardenberg  !"  shouted  the  footman,  opening  the  fold- 
ing-doors. 

The  queen  nodded  a  parting  greeting  to  the  mistress  of  ceremo- 
nies, and  advanced  a  few  steps  to  meet  the  visitors,  while  the 
countess,  heaving  mournful  sighs,  disappeared  through  the  side- 
door. 


THE  CONFERENCE.  369 

• 
CHAPTER    XLV. 

THE  CONFERENCE. 

PRINCE  Louis  FERDINAND,  a  nephew  of  Frederick  the  Great,  and 
Minister  von  Hardenberg,  were  at  that  time  the  most  popular  men 
in  Prussia,  because  they  were  known  to  be  the  leaders  of  the  party 
which  at  the  court  of  Berlin  considered  the  accession  of  Prussia  to 
the  coalition  of  Russia,  England,  and  Austria,  as  the  only  means  to 
save  the  country,  while  Minister  von  Haugwitz,  Lombard,  the  first 
secretary  of  foreign  affairs,  and  General  Kockeritz,  constantly 
renewed  their  efforts  to  win  the  king  to  an  alliance  with  France. 

Prince  Ferdinand,  a  fine- looking  young  man,  scarcely  thirty 
years  of  age,  in  his  brilliant  uniform,  in  which  his  tall  and  noble 
form  presented  a  very  imposing  appearance,  and  in  which  he  looked 
like  the  incarnation  of  an  heroic  warrior,  was  consequently  the 
special  favorite  of  the  soldiers,  who  told  the  most  astonishing  and 
incredible  stories  about  his  intrepidity  and  hardihood.  He  was, 
besides,  the  favorite  of  the  ladies,  who  called  him  the  best- looking 
and  most  amiable  man  in  the  whole  monarchy  ;  and,  with  amiable 
indulgence,  attributed  his  many  adventures  and  acts  of  inconstancy, 
his  wild  and  dissipated  life,  his  extravagance  and  numerous  debts, 
to  the  genius  of  the  prince.  He  was,  indeed,  an  extraordinary  man, 
one  of  those  on  whose  brow  Providence  has  imprinted  the  stamp  of 
genius,  — not  to  their  own  good,  but  to  their  misfortune,  and  who 
either  miserably  perish  by  their  genius,  or  constantly  inflict  with  it 
the  most  painful  wounds  upon  others. 

Minister  von  Hardenberg,  who  now,  after  a  long  struggle,  had 
succeeded  in  overcoming  the  influence  of  Minister  von  Haugwitz, 
and,  with  him,  that  of  the  French  party,  was  one  of  those  rare  and 
extraordinary  statesmen  who  have  made  diplomacy  not  a  business, 
but  the  task  of  their  whole  life,  and  who  have  devoted  to  it  all  the 
strength,  all  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  their  soul.  A  native  of 
Hanover,  and  receiving  rapid  promotion  at  the  hands  of  the  govern- 
ment of  that  country,  he  had,  nevertheless,  soon  entered  the  service 
of  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  who  had  charged  him,  after  the  death  of 
Frederick  the  Great,  to  take  the  king's  will,  which  had  been  de- 
posited in  the  ducal  archives  at  Brunswick,  to  Berlin.*  King 
Frederick  William  the  Second,  who  was  so  sagacious  as  to  perceive 
and  appreciate  the  diplomatic  talents  of  the  young  ambassador,  had 
induced  him  to  enter  his  service,  and  intrusted  to  him  the  difficult 
mission  of  negotiating  the  annexation  of  Baireuth  to  Prussia,  of 
»  "  MSmoires  d'un  Homme  d'Etat,''  voL  L,  p.  302. 


370  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

settling  the  claims  of  the  margrave,  of  paying  the  crushing  burden 
of  the  debts  of  Baireuth  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  of  restoring  the 
country,  which  had  suffered  so  much,  to  its  former  prosperity  and 
content.  Afterward  he  had  been  appointed  minister  of  state  and 
war  in  Prussia,  and  since  that  time  he  had  always  displayed  the 
greatest  activity  and  zeal  in  serving  Prussia  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  his  honest  conviction,  but  at  the  same  time  also  to  guard  the 
interests  of  the  great  fatherland,  the  interests  of  Germany.  The  in- 
fluence of  France,  above  all,  seemed  to  him  to  endanger  these  inter- 
ests ;  hence  he  believed  it  to  be  specially  incumbent  upon  him  to 
preserve  at  least  Prussia  from  this  noxious  influence  and  to  push  her 
over  to  the  other  side,  to  the  side  of  the  coalition,  than  to  allow  her 
to  be  devoured,  like  a  poor  little  bird,  by  the  French  basilisk.  These 
endeavors,  which  kept  up  a  continual  conflict  between  him  and  the 
special  favorites  and  confidants  of  the  king,  Haugwitz  and  Kocker- 
itz,  had  gained  him  the  love  and  esteem  of  all  Prussian  patriots,  and 
secured  him  an  extraordinary  popularity.  These  two  favorites  of 
the  Prussian  people  now  entered  the  queen's  cabinet. 

Louisa  replied  to  the  familiar  and  friendly — rather  than  respect- 
ful— greeting  of  the  prince  with  a  smile  and  a  nod,  and  received  the 
respectful  bow  of  the  minister  with  the  calm  and  proud  dignity  of  a 
queen. 

"  Well,  my  merry  and  reckless  cousin, "  she  said,  turning  to  the 
prince,  "  are  there  again  some  sins  to  be  confessed,  some  neglects  of 
discipline  to  be  hushed  up,  some  tears  to  be  dried,  and  the  mercy  of 
the  king  to  be  implored  for  the  extravagant  freaks  of  our  genius? 
And  is  it  for  that  reason  that  you  have  brought  along  so  eloquent  an 
advocate  and  attorney  ?" 

"  No,  your  majesty, "  said  the  prince,  heaving  a  sigh,  "  this  time, 
unfortunately,  I  have  to  confess  to  you  no  merry  freaks  and  agree- 
able sins,  and  I  am  afraid  I  am  about  to  become  a  steady  man,  and 
to  turn  my  back  on  all  extravagant  pranks.  Hence,  the  minister 
has  not  accompanied  me  this  time  in  order  to  defend  me  and  to  im- 
plore the  gracious  intercession  of  my  royal  cousin,  but  we  have 
come  for  the  purpose  of  repeating  to  your  majesty  Prussia's  cry  of 
anguish  and  distress,  and  of  beseeching  you  to  assist  us  in  saving 
her  from  the  ruin  on  the  verge  of  which  she  is  tottering  at  the  present 
time !" 

The  queen  looked  alternately  at  the  prince  and  at  the  minister 
with  grave,  wondering  eyes.  "It  is  a  political  conference,  then, 
you  wish  to  hold  with  me?"  she  asked  ;  and  when  the  two  gentlemen 
made  no  reply,  she  continued  more  rapidly  and  in  a  slightly  agitated 
voice — "  in  that  case,  gentlemen,  I  must  request  you  to  leave  me,  for 


THE  CONFERENCE.  371 

I  am  no  politician,  and  I  do  not  aspire  to  the  role  of  a  political 
intriguer.  I  am  the  wife  of  the  reigning  king,  but  not  a  reigning 
queen ;  my  sole  endeavor  is  to  render  the  king  a  happy  husband  at 
home,  and  to  cause  him  to  forget  at  my  side  politics  and  the  vexa- 
tions of  his  official  position. " 

"  I  am  afraid,  your  majesty, "  said  Minister  von  Hardenberg,  sol- 
emnly— "  I  am  afraid  the  time  for  such  an  idol  on  the  throne  is  past ; 
and  instead  of  causing  the,  king  to  forget  the  vexations  of  his  position, 
it  will  now  be  the  great  task  of  your  majesty  to  bear  them  with 
him." 

"  And  we  have  come  to  beg  my  noble  and  magnanimous  cousin 
to  do  so, "  exclaimed  the  prince,  enthusiastically.  "  We  have  come 
to  implore  your  assistance  and  cooperation  in  the  name  of  Prussia, 
in  the  name  of  all  German  patriots,  and  in  the  name  of  your 
children !" 

"In  the  name  of  my  children?"  ejaculated  the  queen,  turning 
pale.  "Speak  !  speak  !  what  has  happened?  what  calamity  threatens 
my  children?  I  decline  listening  to  you  as  a  queen,  but  I  will  do 
so  as  a  mother,  who  anxiously  desires  to  secure  the  happiness  of  her 
children.  What  evils,  \vhat  calamities  do  you  refer  to?" 

"  The  independence,  nay,  perhaps  the  whole  existence  of  Prussia, 
is  menaced, "  said  Minister  von  Hardenberg,  solemnly.  "  We  have 
to  choose  whether  Prussia  is  to  be  an  isolated  state,  shunned  by 
everybody,  and  despised  by  everybody — a  state  which  France  will  be 
able  to  devour  with  impunity  and  amid  the  jeers  of  the  whole  world, 
as  she  has  devoured  Italy,  Holland,  and  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine 
— or  whether  Prussia  will  preserve  her  power,  her  independence, 
and  her  honor,  by  not  staving  off  a  division  any  longer,  but  meeting 
her  friends  as  well  as  her  enemies  with  open  visor,  and  by  assuming 
at  length  an  active  and  resolute  attitude  instead  of  the  vacillating 
and  hesitating  course  she  has  so  long  pursued  !" 

"  We  ought  to  oppose  the  Emperor  of  France  in  a  manly  manner, " 
exclaimed  the  prince,  energetically.  "  If  we  do  not  interfere  with 
his  proceedings,  he  will  soon  be  our  master  as  he  is  of  all  those  who 
call  themselves  his  allies,  and  who  are  really  nothing  but  his  slaves. 
My  heart  kindles  with  rage  when  I  now  see  all  Germany  trembling 
with  fear  before  this  son  of  a  Corsican  lawyer,  this  tyrant  who 
assassinated  the  noble  and  innocent  Duke  d'Enghien,  and  who,  not 
contenting  himself  with  chaining  France,  would  like  to  catch  the 
whole  world  in  his  imperial  mantle  so  as  to  fatten  its  golden  bees  on 
it.  And  he  will  succeed  in  doing  so,  unless  we  resist  him,  for  his 
word  is  now  already  the  law  of  half  the  world,  and  this  emperor 
carries  out  whatever  he  wants  to  do.  Truly,  if  he  should  feel  some 


372  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

day  a  hankering  for  a  dish  of  princes'  ears,  I  should  no  longer  deem 
my  own  ears  safe,  nor  those  of  your  young  princes  either  !"  * 

The  queen  did  not  smile  at  this  jest  which  the  prince  had  uttered 
in  an  angry  voice,  but  she  turned  once  more  with  a  grave  and 
anxious  air  to  the  minister. 

"Tell  me,  has  any  thing  occurred?"  she  asked.  "Has  there  been 
a  change  in  the  political  situation?" 

"Yes,  your  majesty,"  replied  the  minister,  "there  has  been  a 
change  in  the  political  situation  ;  the  Emperor  Napoleon  has  dared 
to  violate  our  neutrality,  and  if  Prussia  should  not  now  demand 
satisfaction  she  either  loses  her  honor,  or  she  places  herself  before 
the  whole  world  as  the  ally  of  France,  and  defies  thereby  the  open 
hostility  of  Austria,  Russia,  and  England. " 

"You  dare  to  say  that  Prussia's  honor  has  been  attacked,  and  to 
doubt  that  the  king  will  hold  the  offender  responsible  for  such  an 
outrage?"  exclaimed  the  queen,  with  flashing  eyes.  "The  king, 
who  is  the  incarnation  of  honor,  will  not  permit  even  the  shadow  of 
a  stain  to  fall  on  Prussia's  honor  ;  in  generous  anger  he  will  hurl 
back  the  insolent  hand  that  will  dare  to  shake  the  palladium  of  our 
honor. " 

"Oh,  if  you  think  and  speak  thus,"  said  the  prince,  enthusiasti- 
cally, "I  have  no  longer  any  fears,  but  consider  Prussia  as  saved 
already  from  the  dangers  now  menacing  her.  As  I  see  your  majesty 
now,  in  your  wondrous  beauty,  with  those  eyes  reflecting  your  in- 
ward heaven,  with  this  face  so  radiant  with  enthusiasm,  you  seem 
to  be  the  genius  whom  Providence  has  sent  to  Prussia  to  guard  and 
protect  her,  and  to  guide  her  on  the  right  path  and  to  the  right  goal. 
O,  queen !  fulfil  the  mission  which  Providence  has  intrusted  to 
you ;  follow  your  noble  and  sacred  vocation ;  be  the  genius  of 
Prussia ;  and  impart  to  the  vacillating  and  timid,  firm,  manly 
courage  and  energetic  resolution !  Queen,  I  implore  you,  on  my 
knees,  have  pity  on  Prussia,  have  pity  on  your  children :  be  the 
genius  of  Prussia !" 

And  quite  beside  himself,  his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  his  lips 
quivering  with  emotion,  the  prince  knelt  down  before  the  queen 
and  raised  his  folded  hands  imploringly  to  her. 

"  Your  majesty,  permit  me  also  to  bend  my  knees  before  you, " 
said  Minister  von  Hardenberg,  solemnly,  "to  adore  and  worship 
you  as  the  genius  of  Prussia,  from  whom  we  expect  our  salvation, 
our  peace,  and  our  honor !  Oh,  queen,  you  alone  have  the  power 
to  touch  the  heart  of  the  king  and  to  remove  the  doubts  of  his  noble 
and  honorable  mind ;  you  alone  will  be  able  to  accomplish  what 

*  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand  said  this  to  the  queen.— Vide  "  Bahel  and  her  Friends," 
vol.  i. 


THE  CONFERENCE.  373 

neither  our  arguments  nor  our  supplications  could  bring  about ;  you 
alone  will  be  able  to  elevate  the  vacillation  of  your  husband  to  the 
strength  of  high-spirited  and  courageous  resolution  !" 

"  No,  not  a  word  against  the  king  !"  exclaimed  the  queen,  almost 
sternly.  "  Let  no  one  dare  to  assert  that  the  king  lacks  manly  deter- 
mination and  vigorous  courage.  If  he  is  hesitating  when  you 
would  wish  to  act,  it  is  because  he  looks  into  the  future  more  pru- 
dently and  sagaciously  than  you,  while  you  only  think  of  the  present 
time ;  it  is  because  he  weighs  and  calculates  the  consequences, 
while  you  only  care  for  the  action  of  the  moment.  But  arise,  gen- 
tlemen :  let  us  not  perform  a  sentimental  scene  at  a  time  when  it  is 
of  the  highest  importance  to  be  prudent  and  to  reflect.  Let  us  con- 
verse, therefore,  gravely  and  soberly  ;  explain  to  me  what  has  hap- 
pened, and  what  danger  is  menacing  Prussia  and  my  children.  I 
comply  now  with  your  wish  ;  let  us  hold  a  political  conference.  Let 
us  sit  down,  then,  and  commence. " 

She  took  a  seat  on  the  sofa,  and  invited  the  gentlemen  to  sit 
down  on  the  two  chairs  opposite  her. 

"Now  tell  me  what  has  occurred,  and  what  has  changed  the 
political  situation.  Minister  von  Hardenberg,  pray  give  me  a  full 
and  plain  account  of  the  state  of  our  political  affairs,  for  I  have 
already  told  you  that  I  never  meddle  with  politics,  and  do  not  know 
much  about  them ;  indeed  I  have  been  too  happy,  and  my  life  too 
much  absorbed  by  my  happiness,  to  have  made  it  necessary  for  me 
to  think  of  politics.  But  I  see  very  well  that  the  time  of  quiet  hap- 
piness is  over  now !  Let  us,  then,  speak  of  politics.  You  said,  a 
few  minutes  ago,  Prussia  had  been  insulted  by  France?" 

"Yes,  your  majesty,  Prussia  has  been  insulted.  Her  most  sacred 
right,  her  neutrality,  has  been  violated, "  replied  Hardenberg.  "  The 
king,  in  his  generous  endeavor  to  preserve  the  blessings  of  peace  to 
his  people,  intended  to  maintain  a  strict  neutrality  amid  all  these 
wars  and  storms  agitating  the  world,  and,  the  friend  and  ally  of  no 
party  and  no  power,  to  rely  exclusively  on  his  own  strength.  He 
wanted  to  wait,  to  mediate,  and  conciliate,  but  not  to  attack,  act, 
and  decide.  There  may  be  times  when  such  a  role  is  a  weighty  and 
dignified  one — may  secure  the  peace  of  the  world  ;  but  it  always  de- 
pends on  those  between  whom  one  wishes  to  act  as  a  neutral 
mediator.  One  may  remain  neutral  between  men  of  honor,  between 
princes,  to  whom  their  word  is  sacred,  and  who  do  not  dare  to 
violate  treaties,  but  not  between  those  to  whom  their  word  is  sacred 
only  so  long  as  their  own  advantage  requires  it,  and  who  do  not 
violate  treaties  only  so  long  as  they  do  not  interfere  with  their 
selfish  plans.  It  is  a  principle  of  neutrality  not  to  open  one's  terri- 
tory to  either  of  the  contending  powers,  and  this  principle  has 


374  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

always  been  strictly  observed.  When  Russia,  now  that  she  is  going 
to  send  her  troops  for  the  second  time  to  Germany  for  the  purpose  of 
assisting  the  Austrians,  informed  the  king  that  she  would  march 
these  troops  through  Southern  Prussia  and  Silesia,  the  king  deemed 
this  information  equivalent  to  a  declaration  of  war,  and  his  majesty 
immediately  ordered  the  whole  army  to  be  placed  on  the  war  footing. 
We  should  now  be  at  war  with  Russia,  if  the  Emperor  Alexander 
had  not  sent  on  the  day  after  the  first  dispatch  had  arrived  here, 
another  dispatch  to  the  king,  in  which  he  apologized,  and  declared 
that  he  had  been  too  rash  in  making  the  above-named  demand.* 
But  this  step  of  Russia,  this  mere  threat  of  violation  of  our  neu- 
trality, had  sufficed  to  induce  Prussia  to  place  her  army  on  the  war 
footing,  and  to  do  so  against  the  coalition  of  Austria,  Russia,  and 
England.  A  cry  of  horror  resounded  throughout  Germany  when 
the  people  heard  of  this  first  step  by  which  Prussia  seemed  to  declare 
publicly  for  France  and  against  the  coalition,  and  this  cry  was 
reechoed  abroad,  of  which  the  conduct  of  the  King  of  Sweden  gave 
us  a  striking  proof.  Your  majesty  is  aware  that  this  king,  through 
his  ambassador,  M.  de  Bernstorf ,  returned  to  his  majesty  the  King 
of  Prussia  the  order  of  the  Black  Eagle  which  he  had  received  from 
the  late  lamented  king,  accompanying  it  by  an  insulting  letter  in 
which  he  stated,  that  'he  could  not  wear  an  order  which  the  king 
had  recently  also  sent  to  Monsieur  Bonaparte. ' " 

"And  on  the  same  day  that  this  offensive  return  of  the  highest 
Prussian  order  took  place, "  exclaimed  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand,  with 
a  harsh,  angry  laugh,  "  on  the  same  day  the  King  of  Prussia  received 
from  the  Emperor  of  France  the  grand  cordon  and  seven  other  grand 
crosses  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  to  be  distributed  among  the  princes 
and  ministers.  And  not  only  did  we  receive  these  seven  orders,  but 
in  return  for  them  we  sent  seven  orders  of  the  Black  Eagle  to  Paris. "  f 

"  But  you  forget  to  add  that  the  king  returned  on  the  same  day 
the  Seraphine  order  to  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  recalled  his  am- 
bassador, so  that  we  are  now  in  a  state  of  war  with  Sweden,"  said 
the  queen,  eagerly. 

"  Oh,  my  royal  cousin,  you  betray  your  secrets, "  exclaimed  the 
prince,  joyfully,  "you  wanted  us  to  believe  that  your  majesty  did 
not  care  at  all  for  politics,  and  now  you  know  the  most  minute 
details  so  accurately. " 

u  I  take  a  lively  interest  in  every  occurrence  which  grieves  the 
heart  of  my  husband, "  said  the  queen ;  "and  that  event  made  a  very 
painful  impression  upon  him. " 

*  Vide  HSusser's  "  History  of  Germany,"  vol.  II.,  p.  635.    "  H6moiresd'un  Homme 
•Tfitat."  vol.  viii.,  p.  474. 

t  Ilausser's  "  History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  576. 


THE  CONFERENCE.  375 

"Oh,  your  majesty,  it  was  only  a  prelude  to  other  mortifications 
and  insults  which  we  shall  have  to  suffer  if  the  king  will  not  avenge 
them,"  said  Hardenberg,  energetically.  "It  has  been  said  that 
Prussia  was  siding  with  France  merely  because  she  would  not  grant 
Russia  a  passage  through  her  neutral  territory,  and  because  she 
placed  her  army  in  a  menacing  position  against  Russia.  But  what 
would  the  world  say  if  it  should  learn  what  has  now  occurred?" 

"Well,  what  has  occurred?"  asked  the  queen,  breathlessly. 

"The  Emperor  of  France  has  carried  out  what  Russia  only  threat- 
ened to  do.  The  Emperor  of  France,  without  applying  for  permis- 
sion, has  marched  a  portion  of  his  army,  commanded  by  Bernadotte, 
through  Prussian  territory.  He  has  marched  his  troops,  contrary  to 
treaties  and  to  international  law,  through  Prussian  Franconia, 
Anspach,  and  Baireuth. " 

The  queen  uttered  a  cry  of  surprise,  and  her  cheeks  turned  pale. 

"Does  the  king  already  know  it?"  she  asked. 

"  He  has  known  it  since  yesterday, "  said  Hardenberg,  gravely. 
"We  kept  the  matter  secret,  because  we  would  only  lay  it  before  the 
public  together  with  the  decision  of  his  majesty." 

"And  has  the  king  come  already  to  a  decision?"  asked  the  queen. 

"He  has,  your  majesty,"  said  Hardenberg,  solemnly.  "When 
Russia  threatened  to  violate  our  territory,  we  placed  our  army  on 
the  war  footing,  and  it  is  still  in  arms.  Now  that  France  dares  to 
do  what  Russia  only  threatened  to  do,  we  do  not  turn  our  arms  against 
her  in  order  to  avenge  the  insult,  but  we  take  our  pen  and  write  and 
ask  France  to  explain  her  startling  proceedings.  It  is  true  we 
threaten,  but  do  not  strike  !" 

"No,  we  do  not  strike!"  exclaimed  the  prince,  laughing  scorn- 
fully ;  "  we  mobilize  our  army  against  our  natural  friends  and  allies, 
but  we  do  not  draw  the  sword  against  our  natural  enemies  and  ad- 
versaries. The  army  of  Frederick  the  Great  is  ready  for  war,  and 
yet  it  remains  idle  and  looks  on  quietly  while  the  insatiable  con- 
queror is  penetrating  farther  and  farther  into  the  heart  of  Germany ; 
while  he  is  scattering  broadcast  the  seeds  of  treachery,  discord, 
and  mischief ;  while  he  is  persuading  the  German  princes  to  turn 
traitors  to  Germany;  while  he  is  poisoning  and  corrupting  the 
hearts  of  the  people  and  degrading  their  characters  to  such  an  extent, 
that  the  sense  of  fidelity,  honesty,  and  constancy  will  soon  become 
extinct  in  Germany,  and  all  the  Germans  will  be  nothing  but  a 
horde  of  slaves,  who  will  be  happy  if  this  tyrant  does  not  apply  the 
lash  too  often  to  their  backs,  and  who  will  kiss  his  feet,  so  that  he 
may  step  at  least  mildly  and  gently  on  their  necks  I  If  the  tyrant 
should  succeed  now  in  humiliating  Austria,  who  alone  has  been 
courageous  enough  to  oppose  him ;  if  Napoleon  should  defeat  the 


376  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Austrian  army,  Germany  would  be  lost  and  become  nothing  but  a 
French  province  like  Italy  and  Holland :  all  the  German  princes 
would  lay  their  crowns  at  the  feet  of  Napoleon,  and  be  glad  if  he 
should  suffer  them  only  as  governors  in  their  former  states,  or  leave 
them  at  least  their  empty  titles  after  depriving  them  of  their  pos- 
sessions !" 

"No,  no,"  exclaimed  the  queen,  "we  must  not,  we  shall  not 
permit  that !  Prussia  is  ready  to  maintain  the  honor  of  Germany  ; 
Prussia  will  rise  like  a  hero  accustomed  to  victory ;  she  will  drive 
the  invader  from  her  territory,  and  compel  him,  with  arms  in  her 
hands,  to  keep  the  peace,  if  she  is  unable  to  obtain  it  with  her  pen. 
You  are  right,  the  time  of  neutrality  and  hesitation  is  past,  and 
henceforth  we  must  act.  I  shall  no  longer  remain  neutral,  I  shall 
act  too.  You  have  appealed  to  the  mother  and  wife  and  shown  her 
the  danger  threatening  her  children  and  her  husband  ;  you  have  re- 
minded the  daughter  of  Germany  of  the  horrors  menacing  her  father- 
land ;  you  have  pointed  out  to  the  Queen  of  Prussia  the  evils  im- 
pending over  her  people ;  the  mother,  the  wife,  and  the  queen  has 
heard  and  understood  you.  The  time  of  neutrality  is  past ;  we  must 
move  the  heart  of  the  best  and  most  magnanimous  king  by  our 
prayers  and  remonstrances,  in  order  that  he  may  listen  to  us,  and 
no  longer  to  the  insinuations  and  flatteries  of  his  enemies,  so  that 
he  may  discern  his  friends  as  well  as  his  enemies.  The  king  is 
hesitating  only  because,  in  generous  self-abnegation,  he  prefers  the 
happiness  of  his  people  to  his  own  wishes  and  to  the  gratification  of 
his  own  desires.  A  soldier  by  nature  and  predilection,  he  compels 
himself  to  be  a  peaceable  ruler,  because  he  believes  it  is  necessary 
for  the  happiness  of  his  people.  Let  us  prove  to  him  that  his  sub- 
jects refuse  to  accept  this  generous  sacrifice,  and  that  they  are  joy- 
fully ready  to  remove  the  stains  from  their  honor  with  their  heart's 
blood.  Let  public  opinion  speak  out  and  come  to  our  assistance. 
I  say,  '  to  our  assistance, '  for  henceforth  I  shall  side  with  you,  I 
shall  be  a  member  of  your  party,  and  a  determined  and  out-spoken 
enemy  of  France  1 

"  May  God  bless  your  majesty  for  these  words  !"  said  Hardenberg, 
deeply  moved ;  "  I  am  once  again  in  hopes  that  Prussia  will  be 
saved,  for  she  has  now  won  an  ally  who  brings  more  to  her  than 
armies  and  arms,  and  who  places  the  enthusiasm  and  indomitable 
determination  of  a  great  chieftain  at  the  head  of  our  people. " 

"  And  with  this  chieftain  at  our  head  we  shall  vanquish  every 
French  army, "  exclaimed  Prince  Louis,  enthusiastically ;  "  with 
this  chieftain  at  our  head  we  shall  triumphantly  march  against  the 
enemy,  and  one  idea,  one  sentiment  will  animate  all  of  us  :  Queen 
Louisa  is  watching  and  praying  for  us !  Oh,  my  queen,  would  that 


THE  CONFERENCE.  377 

that  blessed  day  of  battle  could  dawn  for  us !  Command  the  sun  of 
that  day  to  rise  and  to  shine  into  all  Prussian  hearts,  and  to  fire 
them  with  patriotism  so  as  to  shrink  back  nc  longer  from  death  and 
wounds,  but  only  from  dishonor  and  degradation !  Oh,  my  blood 
burns  like  fire  in  my  veins  ;  it  would  like  to  burst  forth  in  a  fiery 
torrent  and  drown  and  burn  every  Frenchman.  Queen,  have  mercy 
on  me — let  the  solemn  day  when  I  may  shed  my  blood  for  the 
fatherland  dawn  without  delay  !" 

"Live  and  labor  for  the  fatherland  !"  said  the  queen,  with  flam- 
ing eyes,  and  her  face  radiant  with  enthusiasm.  "  It  is  not  the  most 
exalted  and  difficult  task  to  die  an  heroic  death  for  a  great  idea, 
but  it  is  even  more  noble  and  difficult  to  nourish  and  preserve  this 
idea  in  the  gloomy  days  of  adversity,  and  not  to  abandon  it  and 
give  it  up  in  a  period  of  affliction,  but  to  remain  its  guardian  and 
priest,  even  though  fate  may  seem  to  reject  it  and  to  humiliate  us 
with  it.  Now  that  I  am  entering  a  new  life-path,  I  say  to  you, 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  we  will  struggle  for  the  honor,  liberty, 
and  independence  of  Prussia  and  Germany,  but  we  will  be  deter 
mined,  too,  not  only  to  die  for  these  ideas,  but  also  to  suffer  and 
bear  affliction  for  them.  Oh,  it  seems  to  me  as  though  I  were  look- 
ing at  this  moment  into  the  future,  and  as  though  I  did  see  there 
much  misery  and  distress  in  store  for  us,  many  storms  and  thunder- 
clouds !" 

"  But  the  sun  is  hidden  behind  the  thunder-clouds,  and  when  the 
thunder  has  died  away  it  will  shine  again, "  said  Hardenberg. 

"  And  it  will  then  shine  on  the  heads  of  my  husband  and  of  my 
children  !"  exclaimed  the  queen,  raising  her  radiant  eyes  to  heaven. 

"  Above  all,  it  will  shine  on  the  Prussian  people  from  the  face  of 
their  adored  Queen  Louisa, "  said  the  prince. 

The  queen  smiled  sadly.  "  Let  us  not  speak  of  the  sun,  but  of 
the  thunder-clouds  preceding  it.  They  are  gathering  around  us ; 
let  us  see  how  we  can  break  through  them.  You  may  count  on  my 
earnest  assistance.  My  husband  and  my  children  are  in  danger,  I 
feel  and  see  it.  France  is  the  enemy  menacing  them.  Hencefor- 
ward we  will  oppose  this  enemy  with  open  visor.  I  promise  it  to 
you  in  the  name  of  Prussia,  in  the  name  of  my  husband,  and  of  my 
children.  Here,  take  my  hand ;  we  will  stand  by  each  other,  and 
struggle  together  against  France  for  the  honor  and  glory  of  Prussia. 
You  will  fight  with  your  sword  and  with  your  pen,  and  I  shall  do 
BO  with  my  word  and  my  love.  May  the  people  support  us,  may 
God  bless  us !" 

"  May  God  bless  us  !"  repeated  the  prince  and  the  minister,  rev- 
erentially kissing  the  queen's  hands. 

"  And  now,  gentlemen,  go, "  said  the  queen,  after  a  short  pause 


378  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  Let  us  not  desecrate  this  solemn  moment  by  any  additional  words. 
Every  thing  for  Prussia !  Let  that  be  our  watchword  !  and  so  I  bid 
you  farewell  for  to-day.  Every  thing  for  Prussia !" 

"  Every  thing  for  Prussia  !"  repeated  the  two  gentlemen,  taking 
leave  of  the  queen. 

Louisa  sent  a  long,  melancholy  look  after  them ;  then  she  turned 
hastily  around  and  crossed  the  room  with  rapid  steps ;  the  sudden 
draught  produced  by  her  quick  passage  blew  the  music-paper  from 
the  piano  to  the  floor  ;  it  fell  exactly  at  the  queen's  feet. 

She  picked  it  up  ;  it  was  the  song  she  had  sung  an  hour  ago.  A 
painful  smile  played  on  the  lips  of  the  queen,  and  raising  her  eyes 
sadly  to  heaven,  she  whispered,  in  a  low  voice  : 

"  Oh,  my  God,  grant  that  this  may  not  be  an  omen,  and  that  I 
may  not  be  compelled  to  eat  my  bread  with  tears,  and  to  weep 
through  nights  of  affliction !  But  if  it  must  be,  O  God,  give  me 
strength  to  bear  my  misfortunes  uncomplainingly,  and  to  be  a  com- 
fort to  my  husband,  a  mother  to  my  children  1" 


CHAPTER    XLVI. 

THE  OATH  AT  THE  GRAVE  OF  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT. 

THE  wishes  of  the  queen  had  rapidly  been  fulfilled ;  public  opin- 
ion had  declared  in  Berlin  with  rare  energy  and  emphasis  against 
France,  and  the  people  had  received  the  news  of  the  violation  of 
Prussia's  neutrality  with  a  unanimous  cry  of  rage  and  horror.  The 
inhabitants  of  Berlin,  usually  so  peaceable  and  addicted  to  pleasure, 
seemed  all  at  once  transformed  into  heroes  grave  and  eager  for  war, 
who  no  longer  knew  any  other  aim  than  to  avenge  as  speedily  as 
possible  the  insult  offered  to  them,  and  to  call  France  to  account 
for  the  outrage  she  had  committed  against  Prussia. 

"  War !  war !"  That  was  the  word  of  jubilee  and  supplication 
now  resounding  on  every  street,  and  in  every  house ;  like  one 
exulting  prayer  of  the  whole  nation,  it  rose  to  the  windows  of  the 
royal  palace,  and  seemed  to  rap  gently  at  them,  so  that  the  king 
might  open  them  and  let  it  penetrate  into  his  heart. 

The  people  spoke  everywhere  of  this  one  great  affair ;  they  asked 
each  other,  in  conversation:  "Shall  we  take  up  arms?  Shall  we 
declare  war  against  France?" 

Those  who  answered  these  questions  in  the  negative  were  treated 
in  the  most  contemptuous  manner ;  the  people  turned  their  backs  on 
them  with  angry  glances  and  threatening  murmurs ;  to  those,  how- 


THE  OATH  AT  THE  GRAVE.         379 

ever,  who  replied  in  the  affirmative,  they  offered  their  hands  joy- 
fully and  greeted  them  as  friends  and  allies. 

Minister  von  Haugwitz  was  known  to  be  an  adherent  of  the 
French  and  an  opponent  of  the  war  ;  the  people  rushed  to  his  house 
and  broke  his  windows,  shouting  loudly  and  angrily,  "  We  do  not 
want  peace  !  Let  all  the  French  and  friends  of  the  French  perish  !" 

Minister  von  Hardenberg,  on  the  other  hand,  was  hailed  by  the 
people  with  the  most  enthusiastic  applause  wherever  he  made  his 
appearance ;  and  on  their  return  from  the  house  of  Minister  von 
Haugwitz,  they  hurried  to  Hardenberg's  humble  residence  in  order 
to  cheer  him  and  to  shout,  "  War !  war !  We  want  war  with 
France !" 

Not  only  the  people  in  the  streets,  however,  but  also  the  best 
classes  of  the  public  participated  in  this  general  enthusiasm,  and 
did  not  hesitate  to  give  vent  to  it  in  public.  Even  the  royal  func- 
tionaries found  suddenly  sufficient  energy  to  show  themselves  as 
German  patriots,  and  it  was  certainly  not  unintentional  that  "  Wal- 
lenstein's  Camp,"  by  Schiller,  was  to  be  performed  at  the  Royal 
Theatre  during  those  days  of  general  excitement. 

Everybody  wished  to  attend  this  performance  ;  all  Berlin  rushed 
to  the  Royal  Theatre,  and  the  fortunate  persons  who  had  succeeded 
in  obtaining  tickets  were  envied  by  the  thousands  unable  to  gain 
admission.  The  theatre  was  crowded ;  the  pit  was  a  surging  sea, 
the  gallery  was  filled  to  suffocation,  and  in  the  boxes  of  the  first  and 
second  tiers  the  aristocratic,  elegant,  educated,  and  learned  world 
of  all  Berlin  seemed  to  have  met.  All  faces  were  glowing,  all  lips 
were  smiling,  all  eyes  were  sparkling ;  every  one  was  aware  that 
this  was  to  be  a  political  demonstration,  and  every  one  was  happy 
and  proud  to  participate  in  it. 

When  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand  made  his  appearance  in  the  small 
royal  proscenium-bos:,  all  eyes  turned  immediately  toward  him, 
and  when  he  bent  forward  from  his  box,  and  seemed  to  greet  the 
audience  with  his  merry  eyes  and  winning  smile,  there  arose  a 
storm  of  applause  as  though  a  favorite  singer  had  just  concluded  an 
aria  di  bravura  and  received  the  thanks  of  the  enraptured  listeners. 
Suddenly,  however,  the  loud  applause  died  away,  perhaps  because 
the  prince  had  waved  his  hands  as  if  he  wished  to  calm  this  roaring 
sea — perhaps  because  the  attention  of  the  audience  was  attracted  by 
somebody  else.  The  eyes  of  the  crowd  turned  from  the  prince 
toward  an  adjoining  box.  Four  gentlemen,  in  brilliant  uniforms, 
had  just  entered  it ;  but  these  uniforms  were  not  those  of  the  Prus- 
sian army,  and  the  broad  ribbons  which  these  gentlemen  wore  across 
their  breasts,  were  not  the  ribbons  of  Prussian  orders.  The  new- 
comers, who  had  entered  the  box,  were  the  members  of  the  French 
MUHLBACH — Q  VOL.  7 


380  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

embassy — General  Lefevre,  with  his  attaches,  and  General  Duroc, 
whom  Napoleon  had  recently  again  sent  to  Berlin  in  order  to 
strengthen  the  friendly  relations  of  France  and  Prussia.  It  was 
certainly  a  mere  accident  that  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand,  just  at  the 
moment  when  these  gentlemen  intended  to  salute  him,  turned  to  the 
opposite  side,  and  did  not  see  and  acknowledge  their  greetings  ;  it 
was  certainly  a  mere  accident  that  the  audience,  which  had  just 
now  shouted  and  applauded  jubilantly,  all  at  once  commenced  hiss- 
ing loudly. 

The  members  of  the  French  embassy  took  good  care  not  to  refer 
this  hissing  to  themselves ;  they  took  their  seats  quietly  near  the 
balustrade  of  the  box,  and  seemed  to  take  no  notice  of  the  loud 
murmurs  and  the  threatening  glances  of  the  audience. 

The  band  now  struck  up  the  overture.  It  was  a  skilfully  arranged 
medley  of  well-known  popular  war-songs,  interlarded  with  the 
Dessauer  and  Hohenfriedberger  march,  as  if  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
audience  were  to  be  carried  to  the  highest  pitch  by  brilliant  reminis- 
cences of  the  heroic  deeds  and  imperishable  glory  of  Prussia. 

All  at  once  a  joyful  murmur  spread  through  the  pit,  the  boxes, 
and  the  gallery.  "The  king,  the  queen!"  whispered  everybody, 
and  all  those  hundreds  of  faces  turned  toward  the  small  proscenium- 
box  which  the  royal  couple  had  just  entered. 

The  queen,  radiantly  beautiful,  with  rosy  cheeks  and  sparkling 
eyes,  greeted  the  audience  with  an  enchanting  smile ;  the  king, 
whose  brow  seemed  unusually  gloomy  and  clouded,  cast  only  a  hesi- 
tating and  anxious  glance  over  the  house,  and  then  withdrew  be- 
hind the  crimson  curtain  of  the  box. 

The  stage-curtain  rose  ;  the  performance  commenced.  The  audi- 
ence followed  it  with  the  most  ardent  sympathy ;  every  word 
referring  to  the  liberty  and  independence  of  Germany,  was  hailed 
with  thunders  of  applause,  and  jubilant  shouts  resounded  at  every 
allusion  to  foreign  tyranny  and  despotism.  The  actors  had  now 
reached  the  last  part  of  the  piece,  the  merry,  soul-stirring  horseman's 
song  concluding  the  whole.  "  Wdhlauf,  Kameraden,  auf's  Pferd, 
aufs  Pferjl!"  sang  the  chorus  on  the  stage,  and  the  audience 
followed  every  verse,  every  line,  with  breathless  attention.  All  at 
once  people  looked  in  great  surprise  at  each  other,  and  then  listened 
with  the  utmost  suspense  to  the  singers,  who  had  added  to  the  merry 
horseman's  song  a  verse  which  had  not  been  heard  heretofore. 
And  when  the  last  words  of  this  verse  had  died  away,  the  whole 
audience  shouted  and  roared,  "Da  capo!  da  capo!"  In  the  pit,  in 
the  boxes,  in  the  gallery,  in  short,  every  one  rose  to  their  feet,  and 
all  eyes  again  turned  to  the  box  in  which  the  members  of  the  French 
embassy  were  seated,  and  thus,  standing,  in  a  jubilant  tone  and 


THE  OATH  AT  THE  GRAVE.         381 

with  threatening  glances,  the  whole  audience  joined  the  chorus  of 
the  actors  on  the  stage ;  for  they  knew  already  the  words  of  the 
additional  verse  by  heart,  and  sang  in  a  thundering  voice : 

"  Wohlauf,  Kameraden,  zur  Schlacht,  zum  Krieg, 
In's  Feld,  in  die  Freiheit  gezogen. 
Zur  blutigen  Schlacht,  zum  rachenden  Sieg 
Tiber  den,  der  uns  Freundschaft  gelogen ! 
Und  Tod  und  Verderben  dem  falschen  Mann, 
Der  treulosden  Frieden  brechen  kann  1 "  * 

And  the  audience  repeated  once  more  the  last  two  lines 

V 

"  Und  Tod  und  Verderben  dem  falschen  Mann, 
Der  treulos  den  Frieden  brechen  kann  !  " 

All  eyes  then  turned  to  the  royal  box.  The  king  was  still  hidden 
behind  the  small  curtain.  The  queen  had  risen.  Folding  her 
hands,  as  if  praying,  she  had  raised  her  eyes  to  heaven,  and  two 
tears  ran  slowly  down  her  cheeks. 

Prince  Louis  Ferdinand  bent  toward  Minister  von  Hardenberg, 
who  had  just  entered  his  box.  "  Do  you  see  the  queen?"  he  said,  in 
a  low  voice.  "  Does  she  not  look  really  like  a  genius  praying  for 
Prussia?" 

"  Ah,  and,  perhaps,  weeping  for  Prussia !"  whispered  Harden- 
berg. "  But  let  us  not  give  way  now  to  gloomy  anticipations.  I  am 
the  bearer  of  good  and  unexpected  news.  Listen  to  me.  The  king 
and  the  queen  will  rise  in  a  few  minutes  in  order  to  leave  the  box, 
and  who  knows  whether  the  audience  will  be  patient  and  calm 
enough  to  witness  the  whole  ballet,  which  is  just  commencing?  I 
see  some  of  my  agents  already  below  in  the  pit,  where  they  have 
made  their  appearance  in  order  to  circulate  my  news. " 

"  I  beseech  your  excellency,  be  here  your  own  agent,  and  communi- 
cate the  news  to  me. " 

Minister  Hardenberg  bent  closer  to  the  prince's  ear.  "I  suppose 
you  know  that,  thanks  to  the  influence  of  the  queen,  I  have  induced 
the  king  to  sign  a  tolerably  warlike  and  threatening  note  to  the 
Emperor  of  the  French?" 

"But  will  this  note  really  be  forwarded  to  Napoleon?" 

"  It  has  already  been  forwarded.  But  I  had  sent  also  a  messenger 
to  the  Emperor  of  Russia  with  a  copy  of  this  note,  and  the  emperor, 
it  seems,  has  understood  my  mission,  for —  But,  just  look,  my  proph- 

*  "On,  comrades,  to  battle.to  war— let  us  march  into  the  field  and  fight  J"or  liberty ! 
To  bloody  battle,  to  avenging  victory  over  him  who  has  lied  friendship  to  us  I  And 
death  and  destruction  to  the  false  man  who  has  perfidiously  broken  the  peace !" 

This  whole  scene  is  strictly  in  accordance  with  history  ;  and  the  additional  verse, 
if  not  literally  the  same,  renders  at  least  the  sentiment  of  the  lines  which  were  sung 
on  that  memorable  evening.— Vide  "  Memoires  d'un  Homme  d'lStat,"  vol.  viiL,  p. 
496,  and  "  Napoleon;  a  Memoir,"  by ,  vol.  ii.,  p.  73. 


382  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

ecy  commences  being  fulfilled.  The  king  and  the  queen  rise  and 
leave  their  box ;  and  notice,  too,  the  migration  beginning  in  the 
pit,  and  among  the  occupants  of  the  orchestra-stalls.  The  beautiful 
ballet-girls  will  soon  dance  before  empty  benches. " 

"  But  do  not  let  me  die  with  curiosity,  your  excellency.  Tell  me 
at  length  what  has  occurred. " 

"  A  surprise,  prince.  The  Emperor  Alexander  will  reach  Berlin 
within  an  hour !" 

"Are  you  not  jesting?    Do  you  speak  in  earnest?" 

"In  dead  earnest,  prince.  The  emperor  comprehends  that  the 
favorable  hour  must  be  improved,  and  he  comes  in  order  to  conquer 
the  friendship  of  Frederick  William,  and  to  overcome  his  indecision, 
so  that  they  may  then  vanquish  the  French  invader  with  their  united 
forces.  The  emperor  is  a  very  sagacious  man,  and  being  half  a 
German,  he  knows  doubtless  the  German  proverb,  '  Strike  while  the 
iron  is  hot. '  Our  noble  queen,  with  both  of  us  and  our  excellent 
people,  will  help  the  emperor  to  strike  the  iron.  Look,  the  people 
commence  striking  already.  They  rush  from  the  theatre  in  order 
to  receive  the  Emperor  Alexander  at  the  gate,  and  to  cheer  him 
while  he  is  riding  to  the  palace.  Let  us  follow  the  example  of  the 
people  of  Berlin.  Let  us  go  to  receive  the  Emperor  Alexander — if 
it  please  God,  our  ally — at  the  gate. "  * 

Hardenberg's  predictions' were  to  be  fulfilled  this  time.  Thanks 
to  the  powerful  allies  who  were  fighting  for  his  policy  and  for 
Prussia,  the  king  summoned  up  sufficient  courage  to  take  a  decisive 
resolution.  Those  allies  of  Hardenberg  and  Prussia  were  now  not 
only  the  queen,  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand,  and  public  opinion,  but 
they  were  joined  by  the  Emperor  Alexander,  who  had  arrived  from 
Poland,  and  the  Archduke  Anthony,  whom  the  Emperor  of  Austria 
had  sent  to  Berlin  at  the  same  time  for  the  purpose  of  winning  the 
friendship  of  the  king.  But  still  another  ally  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly entered  the  lists  for  Hardenberg's  policy  and  for  the  coali- 
tion, and  this  ally  was  the  good  fortune  and  genius  of  Napoleon. 

Dreadful  tidings  reached  Berlin  simultaneously  with  the  arrival 
of  Archduke  Anthony.  Napoleon  had  gained  another  victory ;  he 
had  defeated  the  Austrians  at  Ulm  ;f  twenty-three  thousand  Aus- 
trians  had  laid  down  their  arms  at  the  feet  of  the  Emperor  of  the 
French,  and  then  started  as  prisoners  of  war  for  France. 

Surrounded  by  a  brilliant  staff,  Napoleon  made  the  humiliated, 
vanquished  Austrians  file  off  before  him,  between  the  French  army, 

*The  Emperor  Alexander  arrived  in  Berlin  quite  unexpectedly  on  October  23, 1805; 
the  courier  who  had  announced  his  arrival  had  reached  the  Prussian  capital  only  a 
few  hours  previously, 
t  October  20, 1805. 


THE  OATH  AT  THE  GRAVE.          383 

which  was  drawn  up  in  two  lines.  When  they  laid  down  their  arms, 
and  when  this  flashing  pile  rose  higher  and  higher,  Napoleon's  face, 
which,  amidst  the  hail  of  bullets  and  the  dangers  of  the  battle,  had 
preserved  its  marble,  antique  calmness,  became  radiant,  as  if  lighted 
up  by  a  sunbeam,  and  he  turned  with  a  gracious  smile  toward  the 
Austrian  generals  and  officers,  who  approached  him  humbly  and 
with  lowered  heads,  in  order  to  thank  him  for  giving  them  permis- 
sion to  return  to  Austria,  and  for  not  compelling  them  to  accompany 
their  soldiers  as  prisoners  of  war  to  France. 

But  this  smile  disappeared  rapidly  from  the  emperor's  coun- 
tenance, which  now  became  threatening  and  angry.  In  a  voice 
rolling  like  thunder  over  the  heads  of  the  humiliated  Austrians,  the 
emperor  said  :  "It  is  a  misfortune  that  men  so  brave  as  you,  whose 
names  are  honorably  mentioned  wherever  you  have  fought,  should 
now  become  the  victims  of  the  stupidities  of  a  cabinet  which  only 
dreams  of  senseless  schemes,  and  does  not  hesitate  to  endanger  the 
dignity  of  the  state  and  of  the  nation.  It  was  an  unheard-of  pro- 
ceeding to  seize  me  by  the  throat  without  a  declaration  of  war  ;  but 
it  is  a  crime  against  one's  own  people  to  bring  about  a  foreign  inva- 
sion ;  it  is  betraying  Europe,  to  draw  Asiatic  hordes  into  our  com- 
bats. Instead  of  attacking  me  without  any  good  reason  whatever, 
the  Austrian  cabinet  ought  to  have  united  with  me  for  the  purpose 
of  expelling  the  Russian  army  from  Germany.  This  alliance  of 
your  cabinet  is  something  unheard  of  in  history ;  it  cannot  be 
the  work  of  the  statesmen  of  your  nation  ;  it  is,  in  short,  the  alliance 
of  the  dogs  and  shepherds  with  the  wolf  against  the  sheep.  Had 
France  succumbed  in  this  struggle,  you  would  have  speedily  per- 
ceived the  mistake  you  have  committed. "  * 

Such  were  the  tidings  which  Archduke  Anthony  had  brought 
with  him  from  Vienna  ;  such  was  the  new  ally  Hardenberg  had  won 
for  his  policy  and  for  Prussia. 

This  new  victory,  this  new  conquest  Napoleon  had  made  in 
Germany,  loomed  up  before  the  king  as  a  danger  which  menaced 
himself,  and  compelled  him  to  take  up  arms  for  his  own  defence. 
The  threatening  and  defiant  language  of  the  French  emperor  sounded 
truly  revolting  to  the  heart  of  the  German  king,  and  instead  of  be- 
ing intimidated  by  this  new  and  unparalleled  triumph,  by  this 
threatening  language  Napoleon  had  made  use  of,  he  was  only  pro- 
voked to  offer  him  resistance  ;  he  perceived  all  at  once  that  he  could 
only  be  the  servant  and  slave  of  this  powerful  man,  or  his  enemy, 
and  that  Napoleon  never  would  tolerate  any  one  as  an  equal  at  his 
side.  What  were  those  three  German  princes  who  had  found 
three  crowns  on  the  battle-field  of  Ulm?  Those  new  Kings  of  Wur- 
*  "  M6moires  du  Due  de  Rovigo,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  153. 


384:  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

temberg  and  Bavaria,  that  Grand  -duke  of  Baden,  were  only  vassals 
and  servants  of  the  Emperor  of  France,  who  had  first  given,  and 
then  permitted  them  to  wear  these  crowns. 

King  Frederick  William  needed  no  such  crown.  A  genius  stood 
at  his  side  and  breathed  with  a  heavenly  smile  into  his  ear :  "  It  is 
better  to  die  in  an  honorable  struggle  for  freedom  than  to  live  in 
splendor  and  magnificence,  but  with  a  stain  on  your  honor. " 

And  the  king  listened  to  the  voice  of  his  genius  :  he  listened  to 
the  voice  of  his  minister,  who  implored  him  to  defend  the  integrity 
of  his  state  for  the  sake  of  the  honor  and  welfare  of  Prussia  and 
Germany  ;  he  listened  to  the  voice  of  his  people,  who  demanded  war 
loudly  and  ardently  ;  he  listened  to  the  voice  of  the  Emperor  Alex- 
ander, who  vowed  to  him  eternal  love  and  eternal  friendship ;  he 
listened,  finally,  to  the  voice  of  his  own  heart,  which  was  the  heart 
of  a  true  German,  and  felt  deeply  the  insult  offered  to  him. 

King  Frederick  William  listened  to  all  these  voices,  and  resolved 
at  length  on  war  against  France. 

On  the  3d  of  November  the  Emperor  Alexander  and  King  Fred- 
erick William  signed  at  Potsdam  a  secret  treaty,  by  which  Prussia 
agreed  to  intervene  between  Napoleon  and  the  allies.  By  virtue  of 
this  treaty  Prussia  was  to  summon  the  Emperor  of  the  French  to 
reestablish  the  former  treaties,  and  to  restore  the  former  state  of 
affairs ;  that  is  to  say,  to  give  up  almost  all  his  conquests,  to 
indemnify  Sardinia,  to  recognize  the  independence  of  Naples,  of  the 
German  empire,  of  Holland,  of  Switzerland,  and  to  separate  the 
crown  of  Italy  from  that  of  France.  If  France  should  not  consent 
to  these  conditions,  Prussia  agreed  to  ally  herself  openly  and  un- 
reservedly with  the  coalition,  and  take  the  field  with  an  army  of 
180,000  men.  A  Prussian  negotiator  was  to  lay  these  conditions 
before  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  and  the  term  at  which  Prussia  should 
be  obliged  to  act  should  expire  four  weeks  after  the  date  of  the  treaty.  * 

The  king,  who,  in  his  kindness,  was  anxious  to  indemnify  Min- 
ister von  Haugwitz  for  the  coldness  with  which  he  had  been  latterly 
treated,  and  for  his  broken  windows,  had  commissioned  him  to 
deliver  a  copy  of  the  treaty  of  Potsdam  to  Napoleon,  and  to  negotiate 
with  him.  Haugwitz,  therefore,  left  Berlin  in  order  to  repair  to 
the  emperor's  headquarters.  It  is  true,  he  did  not  know  exactly 
where  to  find  them,  but  he  was  satisfied  that  Napoleon  would  take 
care  to  make  his  whereabouts  known  to  him  by  fresh  deeds  of  heroism 
and  victories,  and  Count  Haugwitz,  therefore,  set  out. 

According  to  the  wishes  of  the  King  of  Prussia,  the  treaty  of 
Potsdam,  for  some  time  at  least,  was  to  be  kept  secret ;  only  those 
immediately  concerned  should  be  informed  of  its  contents,  but  not 
*  HSusser's  "  History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  652. 


THE  OATH  AT  THE  GRAVE.         385 

the  public  generally,  and  no  one  was  to  suspect  that  Prussia  had  at 
length  given  up  her  policy  of  neutrality. 

This  secrecy,  however,  was  distasteful  to  the  Emperor  Alexander ; 
moreover,  it  made  Minister  von  Hardenberg  fear  lest  the  king,  at 
the  decisive  moment,  might  be  once  more  gained  over  to  his  former 
favorite  policy  of  neutrality  by  the  French  party  at  court.  It  would 
be  wise,  therefore,  to  force  the  king  so  far  forward  as  to  render  it 
impossible  for  him  to  recede,  and  to  betray  so  much  of  the  secret  of 
the  concluded  alliance  as  was  required  to  fasten  the  king  to  it. 

Hence,  the  emperor,  at  the  hour  of  his  departure  for  Austria, 
requested  the  Queen  and  King  of  Prussia  to  accompany  him  to  the 
grave  of  Frederick  the  Great.  At  midnight,  on  the  5th  of  N_pvem- 
ber,  they  repaired,  therefore,  to  the  garrison  church  at  Potsdam, 
the  lower  vault  of  which  contains  the  coffin  of  the' great  king.  A 
single  torch-bearer  accompanied  the  three  august  visitors,  whose 
steps  resounded  solemnly  in  the  silent,  gloomy  halls. 

Arriving  at  the  king's  coffin,  the  emperor  knelt  down  ;  his  face, 
lighted  up  by  the  glare  of  the  torch,  was  radiant  with  enthusiasm. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  dark  vault  stood  the  king  and  the  queen, 
both  with  folded  hands  ;  the  king  with  a  gloomy  and  reserved  sir, 
he  queen  with  her  eyes  turned  to  heaven,  and  her  face  beaming 
with  pious  emotion  and  joy. 

Alexander,  still  remaining  on  his  knees,  now  raised  his  folded 
hands  toward  heaven.  "  At  the  grave  of  the  most  heroic  king, "  he 
said  in  a  loud  and  solemn  voice — "  at  the  grave  of  Frederick  the 
Great,  I  swear  to  my  ally,  the  King  of  Prussia,  an  oath  of  everlast- 
ing love  and  constancy ;  I  swear  an  oath  of  everlasting  constancy 
and  love  to  the  sacred  cause  which  has  united  us  for  the  most  exalted 
purpose.  Never  shall  my  constancy  waver ;  never  shall  my  love 
grow  cold  !  I  swear  it !" 

He  kissed  the  coffin  and  rose  from  his  knees  ;  his  eyes,  glistening 
with  tears,  then  turned  toward  the  king,  as  he  said  : 

"  It  is  your  turn  now,  my  brother,  to  swear  the  oath. " 

The  king  hesitated. 

The  queen  laid  her  hand  gently  on  his  shoulder,  and  bent  her 
beautiful  face  so  close  to  him  that  he  felt  her  breath,  like  the  kiss  of 
an  angel,  on  his  cheek. 

"  Swear  the  oath,  my  friend,  my  beloved, "  she  whispered  ;  "  swear 
to  be  faithful  to  the  holy  alliance  against  the  French  tyrant ;  swear 
everlasting  constancy  and  love  to  our  noble  ally. " 

The  king  hesitated  no  longer ;  he  raised  his  head  resolutely  and 
approached  the  coffin.  Laying  his  hand  upon  it,  he  repeated  in  a 
grave  and  calm  voice  the  words  which  the  queen  had  uttered  before, 
and  which  she  now  whispered  with  trembling  lips. 


386  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

All  three  then  grasped  each  other's  hands  over  the  coffin ;  thus 
they  stood  a  long  while,  deeply  moved  and  silent. 

All  at  once  this  silence  was  interrupted  by  the  loud,  ringing  notes 
of  the  church  clock,  announcing  the  first  hour  of  the  new  day.  The 
sounds  died  away,  and  the  chime  of  the  bells  now  commenced  play- 
ing in  clear  and  sweet  notes  the  old  Gennan  hymn,  Ueb  immer  Treu 
und  Redlichkeit,  bis  an  dein  kuhles  Grab  !  "  * 

The  king  inclined  his  head,  as  if  in  silent  prayer  ;  an  almost  im- 
perceptible, strange  smile  overspread  the  noble  features  of  the  em- 
peror. The  queen,  however,  glowing  with  enthusiasm,  exclaimed  : 

"  God  and  the  spirit  of  Frederick  the  Great  give  us  the  motto  of 
our  alliance :  '  Ueb  immer  Treu  und  Rediichkeit,  bis  an  dein  kuhles 
Grab  I '  Let  us  remember  it  as  long  as  we  live !" 

"  Let  us  remember  it, "  repeated  the  two  sovereigns,  with  a  firm, 
manly  grasp.  They  looked  at  each  other,  and  with  their  eyes  bade 
each  other  a  last  farewell. 

Then  they  turned  silently  away  and  left  the  royal  vault. 

Five  minutes  later,  the  Emperor  Alexander  of  Russia  was  on  his 
way  to  Olmtitz,  in  order  to  join  there  the  Emperor  Francis  of  Austria, 
who  had  fled  thither  from  Napoleon  and  his  victorious  army. 

At  Olmiitz  the  plan  for  the  campaign  of  the  third  coalition  against 
Napoleon  was  to  be  agreed  upon. 

*  Holty's  beautiful  hymn,  "  Be  honest  and  faithful  until  they  lay  thee  in  thy  cool 
grave." 


THE  FALL  OF  THE  GEEMAN  EMPIEE. 


CHAPTER    XLVII. 

EVIL  TIDINGS. 

IT  was  in  the  last  days  of  November,  1805.  After  the  victory  of 
Ulm,  the  Emperor  Napoleon  had  established  his  headquarters  in 
Brunn,  where  he  seemed  to  wait  for  his  adversaries  to  attack  him. 
There  was  no  longer  one  enemy  opposed  to  him ;  he  had  no  longer 
to  cope  with  Austria  alone,  but  also  with  Russia,  whose  emperor 
was  now  at  Olmiitz  with  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  for  the  purpose  of 
agreeing  with  him  on  the  plan  of  operations  by  which  Napoleon  was 
to  be  defeated.  The  Russian  army  had  already  formed  a  junction 
with  the  Austrian  forces,  and  even  the  Russian  life-guards,  the  elite 
of  their  army,  had  left  Russia  in  order  to  accompany  their  emperor 
to  the  great  decisive  battle. 

But  Napoleon  had  likewise  brought  his  guards  along,  and  these 
splendid  troops  were  impatient  and  eager  to  fight  the  last  decisive 
battle  with  the  Austrians  and  with  "  the  hordes  of  the  Russian  bar- 
barians. " 

Napoleon,  however,  still  hesitated  ;  his  plans  apparently  had  not 
been  matured,  and  he  seemed  undecided  whether  to  advance  still 
further  or  to  content  himself  with  the  victories  he  had  already 
obtained. 

This  last  alternative  was  urged  on  him  by  his  generals,  who  be- 
lieved the  victory  of  Ulm  to  be  so  brilliant  a  triumph  that  the  French 
army  might  repose  on  its  laurels,  instead  of  drawing  the  sword  once 
more. 

Napoleon,  however,  did  not  assent  to  these  views  of  his  generals. 

"  If  we  had  to  cope  only  with  the  Austrians  we  might  be  satisfied, 
but  there  are  the  Russians,  too,  and  it  will  be  necessary  for  us  to 
send  them  home.  We  must  give  them  their  passports. " 

Greatly  elated  at  this  idea,  the  emperor  ordered  his  horse  to  be 
brought  to  him. 

"  We  will  examine  the  country  a  little, "  he  said  to  his  generals ; 
"accompany  me,  gentlemen." 

And  surrounded  by  his  brilliant  staff,   consisting  of  the  most 


388  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

illustrious  and  victorious  officers  of  his  army,  the  emperor  rode  out 
far  into  the  plain  between  Briinn  and  Vichau,  crowned  all  around 
with  hills  and  mountains.  His  bold,  searching  glances  surveyed 
the  country  in  every  direction  ;  not  a  height,  not  a  tree,  not  a  ravine, 
escaped  his  attention ;  he  examined  every  thing,  and  seemed  to 
engrave  them  on  his  soul.  It  was  near  nightfall  when  he  returned 
with  his  generals  from  this  long  ride  to  his  headquarters.  He  had 
all  day  been  taciturn  and  absorbed,  and  none  of  his  generals  had 
been  permitted  to  participate  in  his  plans  and  observations.  He 
had  only  sometimes  directed  their  attention  by  a  laconic  word  or 
by  a  wave  of  his  hand  to  some  peculiarity  of  the  landscape,  and  the 
generals  had  received  these  words  and  gestures  like  the  mysterious 
hints  of  an  oracle,  with  the  most  respectful  attention,  in  order  to 
weigh  them  in  their  minds,  and  to  indelibly  engrave  them  in  their 
memory.  On  his  arrival  at  the  door  of  his  headquarters,  the  em- 
peror turned  his  pale,  grave  face  once  more  to  the  plain  which  they 
had  just  left. 

"  Gentlemen, "  he  said,  in  a  loud  voice,  "  study  that  part  of  the 
country  as  closely  as  possible ;  you  will  have  to  play  a  r6le  in  it 
within  a  few  days.  General  Suchet,  on  the  left  side  of  your  division 
there  is  an  isolated  mound,  commanding  your  entire  front.  Cause 
fourteen  cannon  to  be  placed  on  it  in  the  course  of  the  present 
night. "  *  He  nodded  to  the  gentlemen  and  entered  his  cabinet. 

He  paced  his  room  for  a  long  while  with  folded  arms,  compressed 
lips,  and  a  gloomy  air. 

"  I  need  a  few  days  more, "  he  muttered.  "  If  they  should  attack 
me  now,  quickly  and  resolutely,  I  must  succumb  ;  if  they  give  me 
three  days'  time,  however,  I  shall  defeat  them. " 

When  he  then  stooped  musingly  before  his  desk,  he  suddenly 
noticed  the  papers  lying  on  it. 

"  Ah, "  he  said,  hastily  seizing  a  large,  sealed  letter,  "  a  courier, 
who  has  brought  dispatches  in  my  absence  !  From  the  minister  of 
the  navy — news  from  the  fleet !" 

He  broke  the  seal  hurriedly  and  unfolded  the  paper.  While 
reading  it  his  mien  became  still  more  gloomy;  a  cloud  of  anger 
settled  on  his  expansive  brow,  and  his  cheeks,  which  had  hitherto 
only  been  pale,  turned  livid. 

The  glance  which  he  now  cast  toward  heaven  would  have  re- 
minded the  spectator  of  the  Titans  who  dared  to  hurl  their  missiles 
even  at  the  Sovereign  Deity  ;  the  words  muttered  by  his  quivering 
lips  were  an  angry  oath. 

With  this  oath  he  crumpled  up  the  paper  in  his  hand,  threw  it 
down  and  stamped  on  it ;  then,  as  if  ashamed  of  his  own  violence, 
*  Napoleon's  own  words.    Vide  "  Memoires  du  Due  de  Rovigo,"  voL  ii.,  p.  109. 


EVIL  TIDINGS.  389 

he  sank  down  on  a  chair,  and  laid  his  hands  slowly,  and  with  a  deep 
sigh,  on  his  trembling,  pale  face.  The  modern  Titan  had  now  found 
out  for  the  first  time  that  there  was  a  God  enthroned  in  heaven  more 
powerful  than  himself ;  for  the  first  time  an  invisible  hand  had 
stopped  him  in  his  hitherto  victorious  course. 

The  paper  he  had  just  trampled  under  foot  announced  to  him 
the  first  great  defeat,  the  first  check  his  grand  schemes  had  met 
with. 

The  French  fleet  had  been  completely  beaten  and  almost  annihi- 
lated by  the  English  at  Trafalgar.*  England,  the  only  enemy  who 
had  constantly  oppposed  Napoleon  in  a  menacing  and  fearless  man- 
ner, detested  England  had  gained  a  magnificent  triumph.  She  had 
destroyed  the  whole  naval  power  of  France,  and  won  a  brilliant 
victory  ;  a  victory  which  humiliated  France  and  overwhelmed  her 
with  disgrace.  It  is  true  it  was  a  dearly-bought  victory  for  Eng- 
land, for  Nelson,  her  greatest  naval  hero,  had  paid  for  his  immortal 
triumph  with  his  life.  The  French  admiral,  Villeneuve,  who  was 
defeated  at  Trafalgar,  had  not  even  been  lucky  and  wise  enough  to 
expiate  his  ignominy  by  his  death ;  he  had  fallen,  a  despairing 
prisoner,  into  the  hands  of  the  English,  and  served  as  a  living 
trophy  to  the  triumphant  conquerors,  f 

Such  were  the  terrible  tidings  which  Napoleon  had  just  received  ; 
it  was  the  first  thunderbolt  which  the  God  of  heaven  had  hurled 
down  upon  the  powerful  Titan. 

But  the  Titan  did  not  feel  crushed  by  it ;  the  thunderbolt  only 
served  to  fan  the  fire  in  his  breast. 

He  rose  from  his  seat,  and  his  eyes  flashed  with  anger. 

"  I  cannot  be  everywhere, "  he  said,  aloud,  "  but  my  enemies  shall 
soon  find  out  that  I  am  here,  and  I  shall  know  how  to  avenge  the 
disgrace  of  Trafalgar  by  a  brilliant  victory. "  \ 

The  door  behind  him  opened  at  this  moment,  and  the  chief  of  the 
imperial  cabinet,  M.  de  Bourrienne,  entered. 

"  Sire, "  he  said,  "  the  two  Austrian  envoys,  Count  de  Giulay  and 
Count  Stadion,  have  returned,  and  beg  your  majesty  to  grant  them 
an  audience. " 

"  So  late  at  night !"  exclaimed  the  emperor.  "  Why  did  they  not 
come  in  the  daytime?" 

"  They  pretend  to  have  been  detained  by  the  impassable  state  of 
the  roads,  but  assert  to  be  able  to  lay  before  your  majesty  some 

*  October  21, 1806. 

t  Admiral  Villeneuve  was  released  by  the  English  government.  Napoleon  banished 
him  to  Rennes,  where  he  committed  suicide  on  the  36th  of  April,  1806,  by  piercing  his 
heart  with  a  pin. 

J  Napoleon's  own  words. 


390  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

highly  important  intelligence,  which  would  seem  entirely  calculated 
to  bring  about  the  conclusion  of  peace  so  longed  for  by  Austria. " 

"Let  the  gentlemen  come  in,"  said  the  emperor,  after  a  short 
reflection,  and  he  placed  his  foot  again  on  the  crumpled  paper,  as  if 
he  wished  to  choke  the  secret  of  its  contents,  so  that  it  might  not  be- 
tray itself  to  the  Austrians. 

Bourrienne  had  gone  out,  and  the  two  Austrian  envoys,  Count 
Giulay  and  Count  Stadion,  now  appeared  on  the  threshold. 

"  You  return  to  me, "  said  the  emperor,  hastily,  to  them ;  "  my 
conditions  have  been  accepted,  then?  I  told  you  I  should  not  nego- 
tiate separately  with  Austria,  but  that  I  should  require  Russia  to 
participate  in  the  negotiations,  and  to  be  included  in  the  treaty  of 
peace  on  which  we  might  agree.  You  come,  then,  in  the  name  of 
the  Emperors  of  Austria  and  Russia  ?" 

"No,  sire,"  said  Count  Stadion,  respectfully,  "we  come  only  in 
the  name  of  Austria. " 

"The  emperor,  our  august  master,"  began  Count  Giulay — but 
Napoleon  interrupted  him  quickly. 

"  I  shall  listen  to  you  only  if  you  are  authorized  to  speak  in  the 
name  of  the  two  emperors, "  said  Napoleon.  "  I  -already  told  you  so 
yesterday,  and  I  do  not  see  what  should  induce  me  to-day  to  change 
my  mind.  The  state  of  affairs  is  precisely  the  same. " 

"Pardon  me,  sire,  it  is  not,"  said  Count  Giulay,  firmly. 

The  emperor  fixed  a  piercing  glance  on  him,  as  if  he  wished  to 
read  in  the  innermost  recesses  of  his  heart. 

"And  why  is  it  not  the  same?"  he  asked,  while  his  eye  slowly 
turned  toward  the  foot,  under  which  he  concealed  the  sinister 
dispatch. 

"Your  majesty  was  yesterday  pleased  to  say  that  Austria, 
although  she  might  boast  of  the  active  support  of  Russia,  could 
never  count  on  the  assistance  of  Prussia,  and  that  Prussia's  neu- 
trality was  as  useful  to  France  as  Russia's  active  support  to  Austria. " 

"Why  do  you  repeat  the  words  I  uttered  yesterday?"  asked  the 
emperor,  impetuously. 

"  Sire,  because  Prussia  is  no  longer  neutral, "  said  Count  Stadion, 
solemnly. 

"  Because  Prussia  is  ready  to  become,  like  Russia  and  England, 
the  active  ally  of  Austria, "  added  Count  Giulay. 

Napoleon's  flashing,  gloomy  eyes  looked  alternately  at  the  two 
Austrian  envoys. 

"How  did  you  obtain  that  information?"  he  asked  at  last. 

"Sire,  from  his  majesty  the  Emperor  of  Russia.  He  has  con- 
cluded a  treaty  with  the  king  at  Potsdam,  by  which  Frederick 
William  III.  declares  his  readiness  to  participate  in  the  campaign 


EVIL  TIDINGS.  391 

and  to  assist  Austria,  unless  your  majesty  should  condescend  to 
accept  the  conditions  which  the  King  of  Prussia  is  to  propose  as 
mediator  between  the  coalition  and  France. " 

"Ah,  the  King  of  Prussia  is  going  to  propose  conditions  to  me?" 
exclaimed  Napoleon,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  Do  you  know  those 
conditions?" 

"  The  King  of  Prussia  will  propose  to  your  majesty  to  surrender 
the  crown  of  Italy,  not  to  disturb  the  princes  of  Italy  in  their  pos- 
sessions and  independence,  to  recognize  the  independence  of  th» 
German  empire,  of  Holland,  of  Switzerland,  to — " 

"  Enough  1"  said  Napoleon,  impatiently.  "  The  Emperor  Alex- 
ander has  taken  the  liberty  to  tell  you  a  story,  and  your  credulity 
must  have  greatly  delighted  him.  Can  you  seriously  believe  that 
the  King  of  Prussia  would  in  his  infatuation  go  so  far  as  to  hope 
that  I  should  accept  propositions  of  so  ridiculous  a  description? 
Truly,  even  if  I  were  a  vanquished  and  humiliated  emperor,  I  should 
stab  myself  with  my  own  sword  rather  than  submit  to  such  a  dis- 
grace. It  seems  I  have  not  yet  engraved  my  name  deeply  enough 
into  the  marble  tablets  of  history,  and  I  shall  prove  to  these  over- 
bearing princes,  who  believe  their  legitimacy  to  be  the  Gorgon's 
head  they  only  need  show  in  order  to  crush  me — I  shall  prove  to 
them  who  I  am,  and  to  whom  the  future  belongs,  whether  to  them 
or  to  me!  However,  it  is  unnecessary  to  say  so  much  about  things 
which  do  not  exist. " 

"Sire,  the  treaty  of  Potsdam  does  exist,"  said  Count  Stadion. 
"  The  envoy  whom  the  King  of  Prussia  has  sent  off  to  lay  its  stipu- 
tions  before  your  majesty  would  have  reached  your  headquarters 
already  if  he  had  travelled  as  rapidly  as  the  Emperor  Alexander, 
who  left  Potsdam  simultaneously  with  him. " 

"  Well,  let  him  come ;  I  shall  see,  then,  whether  you  have  told 
me  a  story  or  not, "  replied  Napoleon.  "  If  the  King  of  Prussia  has 
dared  to  do  this,  by  God,  I  will  pay  him  for  it !  *  But  this  does  not 
change  my  resolutions  and  plans  in  any  respect.  I  shall  enter  into 
negotiations  with  Austria  only  on  condition  that  Russia  participates 
in  them.  State  it  to  those  who  have  sent  you,  and  now  farewell. " 

He  nodded  to  the  two  gentlemen,  and  turning  his  back  to  them, 
stepped  to  the  window.  Only  when  a  slight  jarring  of  the  door  told 
him  that  they  had  withdrawn,  the  emperor  turned  around  and  com- 
menced again,  his  hands  folded  behind  his  back,  slowly  pacing  the 
room. 

He  then  stopped  before  the  large  table  in  the  middle  of  the 
room,  and  unrolled  one  of  the  maps  lying  on  it  It  was  a  map  of 

*  Napoleon's  own  words.— Vide  Hormayer,  voL  i.,  and  Hausser's  "History  of  Ger- 
many," voL  iL,  p.  680. 


392  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

southern  Germany.  After  spreading  it  on  the  table,  the  emperor 
commenced  marking  it  with  pins,  the  variously -colored  heads  of 
which  designated  the  different  armies  of  the  Russians,  Austrians, 
and  French. 

The  emperor  was  engaged  all  night  in  this  task,  in  studying  the 
map,  and  in  measuring  and  calculating  the  distances  some  of  his 
troops  would  have  to  march  before  reaching  the  field  of  action.  The 
wax- candles  in  the  silver  chandelier  burned  down,  but  he  did  not 
notice  it ;  the  fire  in  the  fireplace  had  gone  out,  but  he  did  not  feel 
it ;  the  door  of  his  cabinet  was  softly  opened  from  time  to  time,  and 
the  pale  face  of  his  valet  de  chambre  Constant,  who  was  evidently 
exhausted  with  long  waking,  appeared,  but  the  emperor  did  not 
heed  it.  His  soul  was  concentrated  on  one  idea,  on  one  aim,  viz. , 
to  pursue  the  glorious  course  of  his  victories,  to  humiliate  Germany 
as  he  had  humiliated  Italy,  and  to  drown  the  echoes  of  Trafalgar  by 
a  brilliant  triumph. 

Morning  was  already  dawning,  when  Napoleon  at  length  rose 
from  the  table  and  commenced  again  slowly  pacing  the  room. 

"  Time,  time !"  he  said,  "  I  only  need  three  days  for  moving  up 
the  third  corps,  which  is  already  on  the  march  from  Bohemia. 
Time !  And  yet  I  must  gain  a  great  and  brilliant  victory  before 
Prussia  allies  herself  openly  with  Austria  and  Russia  against  France. 
If  I  should  not  succeed  in  doing  so,  the  army  of  my  enemies  would 
be  increased  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men.  Hence, "  he 
said,  after  a  pause,  quite  merrily  and  hopefully,  "hence,  I  must 
succeed. " 

He  returned  to  the  map  and  pointed  his  finger  at  it. 

"  The  Austrians  are  over  there  at  Olmiitz, "  he  said,  quickly. 
"  Here,  the  Russian  guards  ;  there,  the  united  corps  of  Kutusof  and 
Buxhowden ;  farther  on,  the  vanguard  under  Prince  Bagration.  If 
they  should  advance  now  rapidly,  resolutely,  directly  toward  my 
front,  the  odds  would  be  too  overwhelming  ;  if  they  should  tarry,  or 
if  I  should  succeed  in  causing  them  to  hesitate  until  I  have  got  my 
Bohemian  corps  in  line,  I  should  defeat  them.  Let  us  try  it,  there- 
fore ;  let  us  feign  inactivity  and  timidity,  so  that  they  may  not  be- 
come active.  Cunning  is  the  best  ally  of  a  general ;  let  us  try  to 
deceive  them. " 

He  went  to  his  desk,  and  taking  some  gilt-edged  paper,  com- 
menced writing  rapidly. 

Fifteen  minutes  later  an  orderly  requested  General  Savary  to 
repair  to  the  emperor's  cabinet. 

Napoleon  received  the  general  with  a  kindly  smile,  but  he  was 
silent,  and  looked  almost  irresolutely  at  the  letter  he  held  in  his 
hand.  Suddenly,  however,  he  seemed  to  come  to  a  firm  resolution, 


EVIL  TIDINGS.  393 

and  handing  the  letter  to  Savary,  he  said :  "  Take  this  letter  to 
Olrnutz ;  deliver  it  to  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  and  tell  him.  that, 
having  learned  that  he  had  arrived  at  the  headquarters  of  his  army, 
I  had  sent  you  to  welcome  him  in  my  name.  If  he  should  converse 
with  you,  and  put  questions  to  you,  you  know  the  replies  that  should 
be  made  under  such  circumstances.  Go. "  * 

"  And  now, "  said  the  emperor,  when  Savary  had  left  him,  "  now 
we  will  sleep  a  little.  Constant !" 

The  door  opened  immediately,  and  the  valet  de  chambre  entered. 

"Ah,  I  am  afraid  you  have  had  a  bad  night  of  it,"  said  the  em- 
peror, kindly. 

"Sire,  your  majesty  has  again  been  awake  all  the  night  long, 
and — " 

"  And  consequently, "  said  Napoleon,  interrupting  him — "  conse- 
quently you  have  been  awake,  too.  Well,  console  yourself ;  we 
shall  soon  have  more  quiet  nights  ;  console  yourself,  and  do  not  re- 
port me  to  the  Empress  Josephine  when  we  have  returned  to  Paris. 
My  dear  Josephine  hates  nothing  so  much  as  sleepless  nights. " 

"  Sire,  the  empress  is  right ;  she  ought  to  hate  them, "  said  Con- 
stant, respectfully.  "  Your  majesty,  taking  no  rest  whatever  in  the 
daytime,  needs  repose  at  least  in  the  night.  Your  majesty  sleeps 
too  little." 

"  By  doing  so  I  am  better  off  than  the  sluggards,  inasmuch  as  my 
life  does  not  only  consist  of  days,  but  also  of  nights, "  replied  Na- 
poleon, good-humoredly.  "  I  shall  have  lived  eighty  years  then  in 
the  space  of  forty.  But  be  quiet,  Constant,  I  will  now  comply  with 
your  wishes  and  sleep. " 

Constant  hastened  to  open  the  door  leading  to  the  bedroom. 
"Oh,  no,"  said  the  emperor,  "if  I  say  I  will  sleep,  I  do  not  mean 
that  I  will  go  to  bed.  Beds  are,  on  the  whole,  only  good  for  old 
women  and  gouty  old  men.  When  I  was  second  lieutenant,  I  once 
made  the  experiment  not  to  go  to  bed  for  six  months,  but  to  sleep 
on  the  floor  or  on  a  chair,  and  it  agreed  very  well  with  me.  Give 
me  the  handkerchief  for  my  head,  and  my  coat,  Constant. " 

Constant  hurried  with  a  sigh  to  the  bedroom  in  order  to  fetch  the 
articles  Napoleon  had  ordered ;  and  while  he  was  wrapping  tke 
silken  handkerchief  around  the  emperor's  head,  and  assisted  him 
in  putting  on  his  gray,  well-lined,  and  comfortable  cloth-coat 
instead  of  the  uniform,  the  emperor  softly  whistled  and  hummed 
an  air. 

He  then  snugly  stretched  himself  in  his  arm-chair,  and  kindly 
nodding  to  Constant,  he  said:  "As  soon  as  General  Savary  has 
returned,  let  him  come  in." 

*  Napoleon's  own  words.— Vide  "  Memoires  du  Due  de  Eovigo,11  voL  ii.,  p.  171 


394  LOUISA.  OF  PRUSSIA. 

Constant  softly  glided  into  the  anteroom.  He  met  there  some  of 
his  acquaintances. 

"I  have  important  news  for  you,  gentlemen,"  he  said.  "We 
shall  fight  a  battle  in  two  or  three  days. " 

"Did  the  emperor  tell  you  so?" 

"No,  he  is  not  in  the  habit  of  speaking  of  such  things.  But 
during  the  night-toilet  he  whistled  Marlborough's  air,  and  he  does 
so  only  when  there  is  to  be  a  battle. "  * 


CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

BEFORE  THE  BATTLE. 

FIVE  hours  later  General  Savary  reentered  the  emperor's  cabinet ; 
he  was  still  lying  on  his  arm-chair  and  sleeping ;  but  when  the 
general  accosted  him  in  a  low  voice,  Napoleon  opened  his  eyes  and 
asked  eagerly  :  "Well,  did  you  see  the  czar?" 

"  Yes,  sire,  I  saw  him  and  conversed  with  him. " 

"Ah,"  exclaimed  Napoleon,  quickly,  "tell  me  all  about  it;  do 
not  omit  any  thing.  How  did  he  look  when  he  read  my  letter?" 

"  Sire,  when  I  had  delivered  your  letter  to  the  Emperor  Alexan- 
der, he  went  with  it  into  an  ad  joining  room,  from  which  he  returned 
only  half  an  hour  later,  with  a  reply  in  his  hand. " 

"  Give  me  the  letter,  Savary  !" 

"  Sire,  here  it  is. " 

Napoleon  took  it  hastily;  but  when  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  the 
address,  he  frowned. 

"Ah,  this  emperor 'by  the  grace  of  God'  believes  he  need  not 
address  me  with  the  title  conferred  upon  me  by  the  French  nation, " 
he  said,  hastily.  "  He  does  not  write  to  the  Emperor  of  the  French, 
but  'to  the  chief  of  the  French  government. 'f  Did  you  read  the 
address,  Savary?" 

"  The  Emperor  Alexander  called  my  attention  to  it  himself,  sire. 
I  remember  his  words  distinctly.  They  were  as  follows:  'The  ad- 
dress does  not  contain  the  title  which  your  chief  has  assumed  since 
then.  I  do  not  set  any  great  value  on  such  trifles  ;  but  it  is  a  rule 
of  etiquette,  and  I  shall  alter  it  with  pleasure  as  soon  as  he  has  given 
me  an  opportunity  for  doing  so. '"  t 

"And  what  did  you  reply  to  him?" 

"Sire,   I  replied,  'Your  majesty  is  right.     This  can  only  be  a 

*  "  M6moires  de  Constant,"  vol.  lv.,  p.  109. 

t  Historical.— Vide  "  MSmoires  du  Due  de  Rovigo,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  187. 

J  Alexander's  own  words.— Vide  "  Memoires  du  Due  de  Rovigo,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  187. 


BEFORE  THE  BATTLE.  395 

rule  of  etiquette,  and  the  emperor  will  not  judge  it  in  any  other 
way.  When  he  was  general -in -chief  of  the  Italian  army  he  already 
gave  orders  and  prescribed  laws  to  more  than  one  king  ;  contented 
with  the  homage  of  the  French,  he  only  deems  it  a  satisfaction  for 
them  to  be  recognized.  '  "  * 

"  Your  reply  was  fitting  and  to  the  point, "  said  Napoleon,  with  a 
pleasant  nod,  while  he  opened  the  emperor's  letter  and  glanced  over 
it.  "  Phrases,  empty  words, "  he  then  exclaimed,  throwing  the  letter 
contemptuously  on  the  table.  "  Talleyrand  was  right  when  he  said 
language  was  given  to  us  for  the  purpose  of  concealing  our  thoughts. 
Those  men  use  it  for  that  purpose. " 

"  Sire,  the  emperor  did  not  conceal  his  thoughts  during  our  inter- 
view, "  replied  the  general.  "  I  conversed  with  him  long  and  freely, 
and  I  may  say  that  he  uttered  his  opinions  very  frankly.  The  Em- 
peror Alexander  said:  'Peace  was  only  to  be  thought  of  if  your 
majesty  should  stipulate  reasonable  terms  which  would  not  hurt 
anybody's  feelings,  and  which  would  not  be  calculated  to  weaken 
the  power  and  importance  of  the  other  princes  and  to  increase  that 
of  France.  France  was  a  power  already  large  enough  ;  she  needed 
no  aggrandizement,  and  the  other  powers  could  not  tolerate  such  a 
one.'" 

"  Ah,  I  shall  teach  them  to  tolerate  it  nevertheless  ;  I  shall  prove 
to  all  of  them  that  France  is  at  the  head  of  all  monarchies,  and  com- 
pel them  to  recognize  the  Emperor  of  France  with  bowed  heads  !" 

He  paced  the  room  hastily  with  angry  eyes  and  panting  breast. 
His  steps,  however,  became  gradually  more  quiet,  and  the  furrows 
disappeared  from  his  forehead. 

"I  need  two  days  more,"  he  muttered  to  himself— "two  days, 
and  I  must  have  them,  Savary. "  He  then  said  aloud,  turning  to 
the  general :  "  Did  you  make  no  further  observations?  Did  you  not 
notice  the  spirit  animating  the  Russian  camp?" 

"Sire,  the  whole  youth  of  the  highest  Russian  nobility  were  at 
the  emperor's  headquarters,  and  I  conversed  with  many  of  them  ;  I 
heard  and  observed  a  great  many  things. " 

"Well,  and  what  do  they  think  of  us?" 

Savary  smiled.  "Sire,"  he  said,  "those  young  men  did  not 
breathe  any  thing  but  war  and  victory,  and  they  seemed  to  believe 
that  your  majesty  wished  to  avoid  active  hostilities  since  the  Rus- 
sians had  formed  a  junction  with  the  Austrians. " 

"Ah,  did  they  seem  to  believe  that?"  exclaimed  Napoleon,  joy- 
fully. "  Well,  we  will  try  to  strengthen  their  belief.  General,  take 
a  bugler  along  and  return  to  the  headquarters  of  the  emperor.  Tell 
him  that  I  propose  to  him  an  interview  for  to-morrow  in  the  open 
*  Historical.— Vide  "  M6moires  du  Due  de  Rovigo,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  187. 


396  LOUISA  OF  PRUSSIA. 

field  between  the  two  armies,  the  time  and  hour  to  be  designated  by 
himself,  and  a  cessation  of  hostilities  to  take  place  for  the  next 
twenty-four  hours.  Go !" 

"  I  believe, "  said  the  emperor,  when  he  was  alone  again,  "  I  be- 
lieve I  have  gained  my  second  day  also,  and  I-only  want  a  third  one, 
in  order  to  be  able  to  vanquish  all  my  enemies.  Those  arrogant 
Russians  believe,  then,  that  I  wish  to  avoid  a  battle,  and  to  remain 
in  my  present  position?  I  will  try  to  strengthen  this  opinion  of 
theirs ;  earthworks  shall  be  thrown  up,  and  the  batteries  shall  be 
fortified.  Every  thing  must  have  the  appearance  of  anxiety  and 
timidity." 

And  Napoleon  summoned  his  general  and  gave  them  aloud  these 
new  orders,  but,  in  a  whisper,  he  instructed  them  to  begin  the 
retrograde  movement,  and  to  let  the  troops  occupy  the  positions  he 
had  selected  for  them  on  the  extensive  ground  he  had  reconnoitred 
yesterday. 

And  the  night  expired,  and  half  the  next  day,  before  General 
Savary  returned  from  his  mission.  In  the  mean  time  Napoleon  had 
changed  his  quarters.  He  had  repaired  to  the  camp  of  his  army, 
and  a  bundle  of  straw  was  now  his  only  couch.  He  had  impatiently 
looked  fox  Savary,  and  went  to  meet  him  with  hasty  steps. 

"Why  so  late?"  he  asked. 

"Sire,  it  was  almost  impossible  for  me  to  reach  the  emperor. 
He  had  left  Olmlitz.  All  the  night  long  I  was  conducted  from 
bivouac  to  bivouac,  in  order  to  find  Prince  Bagration,  who  could 
alone  take  me  to  the  emperor. " 

"And  you  have  seen  the  emperor?"  asked  Napoleon,  impatiently. 

"Yes,  sire,  after  overcoming  many  obstacles  and  difficulties,  I 
succeeded  in  penetrating  to  the  emperor.  I  submitted  your  ma- 
jesty's proposition  to  him.  The  emperor  replied:  ' It  would  afford 
him  the  greatest  pleasure  to  see  and  make  the  acquaintance  of  your 
majesty,  but  time  was  too  short  for  it  now.  Moreover,  before  enter- 
ing into  such  negotiations,  he  would  have  to  consult  the  Emperor  of 
Austria,  and  learn  your  majesty's  views,  so  as  to  be  able  to  see 
whether  such  an  interview  would  be  advisable  or  not.  Hence,  he 
would  send  one  of  his  confidential  advisers  with  me,  and  intrust  him 
with  a  mission  to  your  majesty.  The  reply  which  he  would  bring 
to  him  from  your  majesty  would  decide  the  matter. '" 

"Ah,  and  the  third  day  will  pass  in  this  manner!"  exclaimed 
Napoleon,  joyfully.  "Where  is  the  emperor's  envoy?  and  who 
is  it?" 

"Sire,  the  emperor  sent  his  first  aide-de-camp,  Prince  Dolgo- 
rouki,  with  me." 

"Where  is  he?" 


BEFORE  THE  BATTLE.  397' 

"Sire,  I  left  him  with  the  grand- guard ;  he  is  waiting  there  for 
your  majesty's  orders. " 

Napoleon  rose  hastily  from  the  straw,  on  which  he  had  been 
sitting  with  folded  arms. 

"  My  horse !"  he  shouted ;  and  when  Roustan  had  brought  his 
charger,  he  vaulted  into  the  saddle  and  galloped  so  rapidly  forward 
that  his  suite  were  scarcely  able  to  overtake  him.  On  arriving  close 
to  the  grand-guard,  he  halted  and  alighted,  and  while  he  sent  off 
Savary  to  conduct  Prince  Dolgorouki  to  him,  he  muttered:  "Only 
a  third  day !" 

He  received  the  prince  with  the  calmness  and  composure  of  a 
proud  imperator,  of  a  chieftain  accustomed  to  victory.  A  wave  of 
his  hand  caused  his  suite  to  stand  back  ;  and  when  the  officers  had 
withdrawn,  he  commenced  conversing  with  Prince  Dolgorouki, 
while  walking  up  and  down  with  him. 

The  emperor  suddenly  approached  the  members  of  his  suite,  and 
they  heard  him  say  in  a  loud  and  angry  voice : 

"  If  that  is  all  you  wish  to  say  to  me,  hasten  to  inform  your  em- 
peror that  I  had  not  thought  at  all  of  such  conditions  when  I  applied 
for  an  interview  with  him ;  I  should  only  have  shown  him  my 
army  ;  and,  as  to  the  conditions,  relied  on  his  honesty.  He  wishes 
a  battle  ;  very  well,  let  us  fight.  I  wash  my  hands  of  it !"  * 

He  turned  his  back  to  Prince  Dolgorouki  with  a  slight  wave  of 
his  hand  ;  and  fixing  his  flaming  eagle-eyes  on  his  generals,  he  said, 
shrugging  his  shoulders : 

"  Russia  will  make  peace  if  France  will  give  up  Belgium,  and, 
first  of  all  things,  cede  the  crown  of  Italy  to  the  King  of  Sardinia. 
Oh,  those  men  must  be  crazy !  They  want  me  to  evacuate  Italy, 
and  they  will  find  out  soon  that  they  cannot  even  get  me  out  of 
Vienna.  What  would  have  been  their  terms,  and  what  would  they 
have  made  of  France,  if  they  had  beaten?  Well,  let  things  turn  out 
as  it  may,  please  God,  but  in  less  than  forty- eight  hours  I  will  pay 
them  well  for  their  arrogance !"  f 

And  instead  of  mounting  again  on  horseback,  he  continued  walk- 
ing on  the  highway,  muttering  to  himself,  and  with  his  riding- whip 
knocking  off  the  small  grass-blades  he  met  on  the  road.  He  had 
now  reached  the  first  infantry  post  of  his  army.  The  sentinel  was 
an  old  soldier,  who  was  unconcernedly  filling  his  pipe  while  holding 
his  musket  between  his  legs. 

The  gloomy  eyes  of  the  emperor  turned  to  him,  and  pointing 
over  to  the  position  of  the  enemy,  he  said,  angrily  :  "  Those  arrogant 
fellows  believe  they  can  swallow  us  without  further  ceremony  !" 

*  Napoleon's  own  words.— Vide  "  M6moires  du  Due  deSovigo,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  196. 
t  Ibid,  p.  198. 


398  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

The  old  soldier  looked  smilingly  at  the  emperor  with  his  shrewd 
eyes,  and  quietly  continued  filling  his  pipe  with  the  small  finger  of 
his  right  hand. 

"  Oh,  oh,  they  cannot  swallow  us  so  fast !  We  shall  lie  down, 
your  majesty  ! — " 

The  emperor  laughed  loudly,  and  his  face  became  radiant. 
"  Yes, "  he  said,  "  you  are  right,  we  will  lie  down  as  soon  as  they  try 
to  swallow  us  ;  and  then  we  will  choke  them  !" 

He  nodded  to  the  soldier,  and  vaulting  into  the  saddle  he  re- 
turned to  headquarters.  Night  was  coming  on  already,  and  looking 
up  to  the  moonlighted  sky,  the  emperor  murmured  :  "  Only  one  more 
day,  and  then  I  shall  defeat  them  !" 

And  fate  gave  him  that  day.  It  is  true,  the  combined  forces  of 
the  Austrians  and  Russians  approached  his  positions,  but  did  not 
attack  them.  They  drew  up  in  a  long  line  directly  in  front  of  the 
French  camp,  and  so  close  to  it  that  their  movements  could  be 
plainly  seen. 

Napoleon  was  on  horseback  all  day  ;  he  inspected  every  regiment 
of  his  whole  army  ;  his  eyes  beamed  with  enthusiasm,  and  a  won- 
drous smile  played  on  his  lips. 

The  Bohemian  corps  had  arrived ;  the  delay  of  three  days  had 
borne  fruits  ;  he  now  felt  strong  enough  to  defeat  his  enemies. 

He  spoke  in  a  merry  tone  to  the  soldiers  here  and  there,  and  they 
replied  to  him  with  enthusiastic  shouts.  He  inspected  the  artillery 
parks  and  light  batteries  with  searching  glances,  and  then  gave  the 
necessary  instructions  to  the  officers  and  gunners. 

Only  after  inspecting  every  thing  in  person,  after  visiting  the 
ambulances  and  wagons  for  the  wounded,  he  returned  to  his  bivouac 
in  order  to  take  a  frugal  meal.  He  then  summoned  all  his  marshals 
and  generals,  and  spoke  to  them  about  every  thing  they  would  have 
to  do  on  the  following  day,  and  about  what  the  enemy  might  do. 
To  each  of  them  he  gave  his  instructions  and  assigned  his  position  ; 
and  already  on  the  evening  of  this  day  he  issued  to  his  soldiers  a 
proclamation,  admonishing  them  to  perform  deeds  of  heroism  on  the 
following  day. 

"  Soldiers, "  he  said  to  them  in  his  proclamation,  "  the  Russian 
army  appears  before  you  to  average  the  Austrian  defeat  of  Ulm. 
They  are  the  same  battalions  that  you  beat  at  Holabriinn,  and,  thai 
you  have  since  been  constantly  pursuing  to  this  spot. 

"  The  positions  which  we  occupy  are  formidable  ;  and  while  they 
are  marching  to  turn  my  right,  they  will  present  their  flank  to  me. 

"  Soldiers,  I  shall  myself  direct  your  battalions.  I  shall  keep  out 
of  the  fire,  if,  with  your  usual  bravery,  you  throw  disorder  and 
confusion  into  the  enemy's  ranks.  But,  if  the  victory  should  be 


BEFORE  THE  BATTLE.  399 

for  a  moment  uncertain,  you  will  see  your  emperor  the  foremost  to 
expose  himself  to  danger.  For  victory  must  not  hang  doubtful  on 
this  day,  most  particularly,  when  the  honor  of  the  French  infantry, 
which  so  deeply  concerns  the  honor  of  the  whole  nation,  is  at 
stake. 

"Let  not  the  ranks  be  thinned  upon  pretext  of  carrying  away  the 
wounded ;  and  let  every  one  be  thoroughly  impressed  with  this 
thought,  that  it  behooves  us  to  conquer  these  hirelings  of  England, 
who  are  animated  with  such  bitter  hatred  against  our  nation. 

"This  victory  will  put  an  end  to  the  campaign,  and  we  shall  then 
be  able  to  return  to  our  winter  quarters,  where  we  shall  be  joined 
by  the  new  armies  which  are  forming  in  France,  and  then  the  peace 
which  I  shall  make  will  be  worthy  of  my  people,  of  you,  and  of 
myself. " 

The  soldiers  received  this  proclamation  with  jubilant  shouts  ;  and 
when  Napoleon,  after  night  had  set  in,  rode  once  more  through  the 
camp,  the  first  soldiers  who  perceived  him,  eager  to  light  him  on 
his  way,  picked  up  the  straw  of.  their  bivouac  and  made  it  into 
torches,  which  they  placed  blazing  on  the  tops  of  their  muskets.  In 
a  few  minutes  this  example  was  followed  by  the  whole  army,  and 
along  the  vast  front  of  the  French  position  was  displayed  this  singu- 
lar illumination.  The  soldiers  accompanied  the  steps  of  Napoleon 
with  shouts  of  "  Vive  VEmpereur  /"  promising  to  prove  on  the  mor- 
row that  they  were  worthy  of  him  and  of  themselves.  Enthusiasm 
pervaded  all  the  ranks.  They  went  as  men  ought  to  go  into  danger, 
with  hearts  full  of  content  and  confidence. 

Napoleon  retired,  to  oblige  his  soldiers,  to  take  some  rest.  With 
a  feeling  of  the  most  unbounded  satisfaction,  he  threw  himself  on 
the  straw  in  his  tent,  and  smilingly  rejecting  the  services  of  his 
valets  de  chambre,  Roustan  and  Constant,  who  implored  him  to 
perimt  them  to  wrap  him  in  warmer  clothes,  he  said  : 

"  Kindle  a  good  fire  and  let  me  sleep  as  a  soldier  who  has  a  hot 
day  before  him  on  the  morrow  ought  to  sleep. " 

He  pressed  his  head  into  the  straw  and  fell  asleep  ;  and  he  was 
still  sleeping  when  the  marshals  and  generals  at  daybreak  came  to 
the  emperor's  tent  to  awaken  him  as  he  had  ordered  them  to  do. 

They  surrounded  the  open  tent  in  respectful  silence  and  looked  at 
the  chieftain  who  was  to  fight  a  great  battle  to-day,  and  who  was 
now  lying  on  the  straw  with  a  calm,  serene  face,  and  with  the  gentle 
slumber  of  a  child. 

But  they  durst  not  let  him  sleep  any  longer,  for  the  emperor, 
who  had  regulated  every  movement  of  the  present  day  by  the  hour 
and  minute,  would  have  been  very  angry  if  any  delay  had  occurred. 
General  Savary,  therefore,  approached  the  sleeping  emperor  and 


400  LOUISA  OP  PRUSSIA. 

bent  over  him.  Then  his  loud  and  earnest  voice  was  heard  to  say : 
"Sire,  the  fixed  hour  has  come." 

Napoleon  opened  his  eyes  and  jumped  up.  Sleep  had  suddenly 
fallen  from  him  like  a  thin  veil ;  as  soon  as  he  rose  to  his  feet  he 
was  once  more  the  great  emperor  and  general.  He  cast  a  long, 
searching  look  on  the  gray,  moist,  and  wintry  hori/xm,  and  the 
dense  mist  which  shrouded  every  thing  at  a  distance  of  ten  paces 
caused  his  eyes  to  sparkle  with  delight. 

"  That  mist  is  an  excellent  ally  of  ours,  for  it  will  conceal  our 
movements  from  the  enemy.  Issue  your  orders,  gentlemen ;  let  the 
whole  army  take  up  arms  as  silently  as  possible. " 

The  emperor  then  mounted  on  horseback  and  rode  through  the 
camp  to  see  the  infantry  and  cavalry  form  in  column. 

It  was  now  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  mist  began  to 
rise  ;  the  first  feeble  rays  of  the  December  sun  pierced  it  and  com- 
menced gradually  illuminating  the  landscape. 

The  e^cperor  placed  himself  on  a  small  knoll,  where  his  eye  em- 
braced the  whole  field  of  battle ;  his  marshals  were  on  horseback  at 
his  side,  anxiously  awaiting  his  order  to  commence  the  combat. 

Profound  silence  reigned  everywhere ;  but  suddenly  it  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  very  brisk  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry.  A  radiant 
flash  seemed  to  light  up  the  emperor's  face,  and  proudly  raising  his 
head,  he  said,  in  an  imperious  voice : 

"  To  your  posts,  gentlemen ;  the  battle  is  about  to  commence  1"  * 


CHAPTER    XLIX. 

"GOTT  ERHALTE  FRANZ  DEN  KAISER!" 

FOR  three  days  the  utmost  uneasiness  and  commotion  had  reigned 
in  Vienna.  Nobody  wanted  to  stay  at  home.  Everybody  hastened 
into  the  street,  as  if  he  hoped  there  to  hear  at  an  earlier  moment  the 
great  news  which  the  people  were  looking  for,  and  as  if  the  fresh 
air  which  had  carried  to  them  three  days  ago  the  thundering  echoes 
of  the  cannon,  would  waft  to  them  to-day  the  tidings  of  the  brill- 
iant victory  supposed  to  be  achieved  by  the  Emperors  Francis  and 
Alexander. 

But  these  victorious  tidings  did  not  come ;  the  roar  of  the  cannon 
had  a  quicker  tongue  than  the  courier  who  was  to  bring  the  news  of 
the  victory.  He  did  not  come,  and  yet  the  good  people  of  Vienna 
were  waiting  for  him  with  impatience  and,  at  the  same  time,  with 
proud  and  joyful  confidence.  It  is  true  no  one  was  able  to  state 
•  The  battle  of  Austeriitz,  Dec.  2, 1806. 


«GOTT  ERHALTE  FEANZ  DEN  KAISER."  401 

positively  where  the  battle  had  been  fought,  but  the  people  were 
able  to  calculate  the  spot  where  the  great  struggle  had  probably 
taken  place,  for  they  knew  that  the  allies  had  occupied  the  imme- 
diate environs  of  Olmutz,  and  then  advanced  toward  Brunn  and  Aus- 
terlitz,  where  the  French  army  had  established  itself.  They  calcu- 
lated the  time  which  the  courier  would  consume  in  order  to  reach 
Vienna  from  the  battle-field,  and  the  obstacles  and  delays  that  might 
have  possibly  impeded  his  progress  were  taken  into  consideration. 
But  no  one  felt  anxious  at  his  prolonged  absence ;  no  one  doubted 
that  the  allies  had  obtained  a  great  victory. 

For  their  two  armies  were  by  far  superior  to  the  French  army, 
and  Napoleon  himself  had  not  hoped  for  a  victory  this  time  ;  he  had 
fallen  back  with  his  army  because  he  wished  to  avoid  a  battle  with 
the  superior  forces  of  the  enemy ;  he  had  even  gone  so  far  in  his 
despondency  as  to  write  to  the  Emperor  of  Russia  and  to  sue  for 
peace. 

How  could  people  think,  therefore,  that  Napoleon  had  won  the 
battle,  the  thunders  of  which  had  filled  the  Viennese  three  days  ago 
with  the  utmost  exultation? 

No,  fate  had  at  length  stopped  the  onward  career  of  the  conqueror, 
and  it  was  on  Austrian  soil  that  his  eagles  were  to  be  struck  down 
and  his  laurels  to  wither. 

Nobody  doubted  it ;  the  joyful  anticipation  of  a  great  victory 
animated  every  heart  and  beamed  from  every  eye.  They  longed  for 
the  arrival  of  the  courier,  and  were  overjoyed  to  celebrate  at  length 
a  triumph  over  those  supercilious  French,  who  had  latterly  humili- 
ated and  angered  the  poor  people  of  Vienna  on  so  many  occasions. 

It  is  true  the  French  embassy  had  not  yet  left  Vienna.  But  that 
was  only  a  symptom  that  it  had  not  yet  been  reached  by  a  courier 
from  the  battle-field ;  else  it  would  have  fled  from  Vienna  in  the 
utmost  haste. 

But  the  people  did  not  wish  to  permit  the  overbearing  French  to 
depart  from  their  city  in  so  quiet  and  unpretending  a  manner ;  they 
wanted  to  accompany  them  at  least  with  loud  jeers,  with  scornful 
shouts  and  curses. 

Thousands,  therefore,  surrounded  the  house  of  the  French  em- 
bassy, where  Talleyrand,  Napoleon's  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  had 
been  staying  for  some  days,  and  no  longer  did  they  swallow  their 
wrath  and  hatred,  but  they  gave  vent  to  it  loudly ;  no  longer  did 
they  threaten  only  with  their  glances,  but  also  with  their  fists, 
which  they  raised  menacingly  toward  the  windows  of  the  French 
minister. 

And  while  thousands  had  gathered  around  the  embassy  building, 
other  thousands  strolled  out  toward  Mohringen,  and  stared  breath- 


402  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

lessly  down  the  road,  hoping  to  behold  the  longed-for  messenger 
who  would  announce  to  them  at  length  the  great  victory  that  had 
been  won. 

All  at  once  something  in  the  distance  commenced  stirring  on 
the  road ;  at  times  glittering  objects,  resembling  twinkling  stars, 
were  to  be  seen,  and  then  motley  colors  were  discerned ;  it  came 
nearer  and  nearer.  No  doubt  it  must  be  a  column  of  soldiers ;  per- 
haps some  of  the  heroic  regiments  which  had  defeated  the  French 
army  were  already  on  their  homeward  march. 

Ah,  the  proud  and  sanguine  people  of  Vienna  regretted  now  ex- 
ceedingly that  there  were  no  longer  any  French  regiments  in  the 
capital,  and  that  they  had  left  their  city  only  a  week  ago  and  rejoined 
Napoleon's  army.  Now  there  would  have  been  an  opportunity  for 
them  to  take  revenge  for  the  hospitality  which  they  had  been  com- 
pelled for  the  last  two  weeks  to  extend  to  the  French.  Now  they 
would  have  chased  the  French  soldiers  in  the  most  ignominious 
manner  through  the  same  streets  which  they  had  marched  hitherto 
with  so  proud  and  confident  a  step. 

The  soldiers  drew  nearer  and  nearer ;  the  people  hastened  to  meet 
them  like  a  huge  boa  constrictor  with  thousands  and  thousands  of 
movable  rings,  and  thousands  and  thousands  of  flashing  eyes. 

But  all  at  once  these  eyes  became  fixed  and  dismayed  ;  the  joyful 
hum,  which  hitherto  had  filled  the  air  as  though  it  were  a  vast 
multitude  of  gnats  playing  in  the  sun,  died  away. 

Those  were  not  the  uniforms  of  the  Austrians,  nor  of  the  Rus- 
sians either !  Those  were  the  odious  colors  of  France.  The  soldiers 
marching  toward  Vienna  were  French  regiments. 

And  couriers  appeared  too,  the  longed-for  couriers !  But  they 
were  no  Austrian  couriers ;  the  tri- colored  sash  was  wrapped  around 
their  waists,  they  did  not  greet  the  people  with  German  words  and 
with  fraternal  German  salutations.  They  galloped  past  them  and 
shouted  "Victoire!  victoire!  Vive  I'Empereur  Napoleon!" 

The  people  were  thunderstruck ;  they  did  not  stir,  but  stared 
wildly  and  pale  with  horror  at  the  regiments  that  now  approached 
to  the  jubilant  music  of  their  bands,  and  treated  the  Viennese  to  the 
notes  of  the  Marseillaise  and  the  air  of  Va-t -en-guerrier ;  they  stared 
at  the  sullen,  ragged  men  who  marched  in  the  midst  of  the  soldiers, 
like  the  Roman  slaves  before  the  car  of  the  Triumphator.  These 
poor,  pale  men  wore  no  French  uniforms,  and  the  tri -colored  sash 
was  not  wrapped  around  their  waists,  nor  did  they  bear  arms  ;  their 
hands  were  empty,  and  their  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  ground.  They 
were  prisoners,  prisoners  of  the  French,  and  they  wore  Russian 
uniforms. 

The  people  saw  it  with  dismay.     The  good  Viennese  had  sud- 


"GOTT  ERHALTE  FRANZ  DEN  KAISER."  403 

denly  been  hurled  from  their  proud  hopes  of  victory  into  an  abyss  of 
despair,  and  they  were  stunned  by  the  sudden  fall,  and  unable  to 
speak  and  to  collect  their  thoughts.  They  stood  on  the  road,  pale 
and  breathless,  and  witnessed  the  spectacle  of  the  return  of  j;he  vic- 
torious columns  with  silent  despondency. 

All  at  once  the  brilliant   column,  which  had  filed  through  the 
ranks  of  the  people,  halted,  and  the  band  ceased  playing.     An  officer 
galloped  up  and  exchanged  a  few  words  with  the  colonel  in  com- 
mand.    The  colonel  made  a  sign  and  uttered  a  few  hurried  words 
whereupon  four  soldiers  stepped  from  the  ranks,  and  forcing  a  pas 
sage  through  the  staring  crowd,   walked  directly  toward  a  small 
house  situated  solitary  and  alone  on  the  road,  in  the  middle  of  a 
garden. 

Every  inhabitant  of  Vienna  knew  this  house  and  the  man  living 
in  it,  for  it  was  the  residence  of  Joseph  Haydn. 

When  the  four  soldiers  approached  the  door  of  the  popular  and 
well-known  maestro,  the  people  seemed  to  awake  from  their  stupe- 
faction, a  unanimous  cry  of  rage  and  horror  resounded,  and  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  voices  shouted  and  screamed,  "Father 
Haydn !  They  want  to  arrest  Father  Haydn !" 

But,  no.  The  four  soldiers  stopped  at  the  door,  and  remained 
there  as  a  guard  of  honor. 

And  the  band  of  the  next  regiment,  which  had  just  come  up, 
halted  on  the  road  too,  and,  in  stirring  notes,  the  French  musicians 
began  to  play  a  melody  which  was  well  known  to  everybody,  the 
melody  of  the  great  hymn  from  the  "  Creation, "  "  In  verdure  clad. "  * 

It  sounded  to  the  poor  Viennese  like  a  cruel  mockery  to  hear  a 
band  of  the  victorious  French  army  play  this  melody  composed  by  a 
German  maestro,  and  tears  of  heart- felt  shame,  of  inward  rage, 
filled  many  an  eye  which  had  never  wept  before,  and  a  bitter  pang 
seized  every  breast. 

The  French  musicians  had  not  yet  finished  the  tune,  when  a 
window  in  the  upper  story  of  the  house  was  opened,  and  Joseph 
Haydn's  venerable  white-haired  head  appeared.  His  cheeks  were 
pale,  and  his  lips  trembled,  for  his  footman,  who  had  just  returned 
home,  had  brought  him  the  news  that  the  French  had  been  victori- 
ous again,  and  that  Napoleon  had  defeated  the  two  emperors  at 
Austerlitz. 

Joseph  Haydn,  the  old  man,  was  pale  and  trembling,  but  Joseph 
Haydn,  the  genius,  was  courageous,  joyful,  and  defiant,  and  he  was 
filled  with  noble  anger  when  he  heard  that  the  trumpeters  of  the 
French  conqueror  dared  to  play  his  German  music. 

This  anger  of  the  eternally -young  and  eternally -bold  genius  now 
MUHLBACH— R  *  Historical  VOL.  7 


404  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

burst  forth  from  Haydn's  eyes,  and  restored  to  his  whole  bearing 
the  vigor  and  elasticity  of  youth. 

Leaning  far  out  of  the  window,  he  beckoned  the  people  with 
both  arms,  while  they  were  looking  up  to  him  and  waving  their 
hats  to  salute  him. 

"  Sing,  people  of  Vienna  I"  he  shouted,  "  oh,  sing  our  favorite 
hymn !" 

The  music  had  just  ceased,  and  Joseph  Haydn  now  commenced 
singing  in  a  loud,  ringing  voice,  "  Oott  erhalte  Franz  den  Kaiser, 
unsern  guten  Kaiser  Franz ! " 

And  thousands  of  voices  sang  and  shouted  all  at  once,  "Gott 
erhalte  Franz  den  Kaiser,  unsern  guten  Kaiser  Franz ! " 

Joseph  Haydn  stood  at  the  window,  and  moved  his  arm  as 
though  he  were  standing  before  his  orchestra  and  leading  his  choir. 

The  people  sang  their  favorite  hymn  louder  and  more  jubilantly, 
and  to  the  notes  of  this  prayer  of  a  whole  people,  of  this  jubilant 
hymn,  by  which  the  Viennese  honored  their  unfortunate,  vanquished 
emperor  in  the  face  of  the  conquering  army,  the  French  marched 
up  the  road  toward  the  interior  of  the  city. 

Joseph  Haydn  was  still  at  the  window ;  he  led  the  choir  no 
longer  ;  he  sang  no  more.  He  had  folded  his  hands  and  listened  to 
the  majestic  anthem  of  the  people,  and  the  tears,  filling  his  eyes, 
glistened  like  diamonds. 

The  people  continued  shouting  and  singing,  in  spite  of  the 
French,  the  hymn  of  "  Oott  erhalte  Franz  den  Kaiser,  unsern  guten 
Kaiser  Franz!" 

And  the  victorious  French  marched  silently  through  the  opened 
ranks  of  the  people. 


CHAPTER  L 

PATRIOTISM. 

PRINCESS  MARIANNE  VON  EIBENBERQ  had  just  returned  from  a  party 
which  the  British  ambassador,  Lord  Paget,  had  given  in  her  honor, 
and  which  was  to  celebrate  at  the  same  time  the  victory  which  the 
two  emperors,  the  allies  of  England,  were  firmly  believed  to  have 
achieved  over  the  usurper. 

Marianne  Eibenberg,  therefore,  wore  a  brilliant  toilet.  She  was 
adorned  with  diamonds  and  costly  jewelry,  and  looked  as  beauti- 
ful and  proud  as  a  queen.  She  had  now  reached  the  acme  of  her 
career.  She  was  still  lovely,  and  besides  she  had  become,  as  it  were, 
the  protectress  of  the  most  refined  society  of  Vienna  and  the  centre 


PATRIOTISM.  405 

of  the  intellectual  as  well  as  aristocratic  circles.  She  had  accom- 
plished her  purpose.  Marianne  Meier,  the  Jewess,  was  now  a  noble 
lady,  to  whom  everybody  was  paying  deference ;  and  Marianne, 
princess  von  Eibenberg,  felt  so  much  at  home  in  her  new  position, 
that  she  had  herself  almost  forgotten  who  and  what  she  had  been  in 
former  times.  Only  sometimes  she  remembered  it,  only  when  such 
recollections  secured  a  triumph  to  her,  and  when  she  met  with  per- 
sons who  had  formerly,  at  the  best,  tolerated  her  with  proud  disdain 
in  good  society,  and  who  did  not  deem  it  now  beneath  their  dignity 
to  solicit  an  invitation  to  her  reception-room  as  a  favor. 

This  reception-room  was  now  the  only  resort  of  good  society  in 
Vienna,  the  only  place  where  people  were  sure  to  meet  always 
amidst  the  troubles  and  convulsions  of  the  times  with  the  most 
refined  and  patriotic  men,  and  where  they  might  rely  on  never  find- 
ing any  persons  of  doubtful  patriotism,  much  less  any  French. 

But,  it  is  true,  since  the  imperial  family  had  fled  from  Vienna, 
the  reception-room  of  the  Princess  von  Eibenberg  had  gradually  be- 
come deserted,  for  the  members  of  the  aristocracy  had  retired  to 
their  estates  and  castles,  and  the  ministers  and  high  functionaries 
had  accompanied  the  emperor  and  the  imperial  court  to  Olmutz. 
The  ambassadors,  too,  were  about  to  repair  thither  ;  hence,  the  party 
given  by  the  British  minister,  Lord  Paget,  to  his  adored  friend  the 
Princess  von  Eibenberg,  was  to  celebrate  not  only  the  supposed  vic- 
tory, but  also  his  departure  from  the  capital. 

Marianne,  as  we  stated  already,  had  just  returned  from  this 
party.  With  rapid  steps,  absorbed  in  profound  reflections,  she  was 
pacing  her  boudoir,  muttering,  now  and  then,  inaudible  words,  and 
from  time  to  time  heaving  deep  sighs  as  if  feeling  violent  pain. 
"When  she  walked  past  the  large  Venetian  mirror,  she  stopped  and 
contemplated  the  brilliant  and  imposing  form  it  reflected. 

"  It  is  true, "  she  said,  mournf ully,  "  the  Princess  von  Eibenberg 
is  a  beautiful  and  charming  lady  ;  she  has  very  fine  diamonds  and  a 
very  aristocratic  title ;  she  is  living  in  grand  style ;  she  has  very 
many  admirers  ;  she  is  adored  and  beloved  on  account  of  her  enthu- 
siastic patriotism ;  she  has  got  whatever  is  able  to  beautify  and 
adorn  life,  and  yet  I  see  a  cloud  on  this  forehead  which  artists  com- 
pare with  that  of  the  Ludovisian  Juno,  and  diplomatists  with  that 
of  Pallas  Athene.  What  does  this  cloud  mean?  Reply  to  this  ques- 
tion, you,  whom  I  see  there  in  the  mirror ;  reply  to  it,  proud  woman 
with  the  precious  diadem,  how  does  it  come  that  you  look  so  sad, 
although  the  world  says  that  you  are  happy  and  highly  honored?" 

She  paused,  and  looked  almost  expectantly  at  her  own  image  in 
the  looking-glass.  The  clock  commenced  all  at  once  striking  twelve. 

"Midnight!"    whispered   Marianne;    "midnight,   the    hour    in 


406  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

which  ghosts  walk !    I  will  also  call  up  a  ghost, "  she  said,  after  a 
short  pause  ;  "  I  will  call  it  up  and  compel  it  to  reply  to  me. " 

And  raising  her  arm  toward  the  glittering,  radiant  image  in  the 
looking-glass,  she  said  in  a  loud  and  solemn  voice :  "  Marianne 
Meier,  rise  from  your  grave  and  come  hither  to  reply  to  my  ques- 
tions !  Marianne  Meier,  rise  and  walk ;  it  is  the  Princess  von 
Eibenberg  who  is  calling  you  !  Ah,  I  see  you — it  is  you,  Marianne ; 
you  are  looking  at  me  with  the  melancholy  eyes  of  those  days  when 
you  had  to  bear  so  much  contumely  and  disgrace,  and  when  you 
were  sitting  mournfully  by  the  rivers  of  Babylon  and  weeping. 
Yes,  I  recognize  you  ;  you  still  wear  the  features  of  your  ancestors 
of  the  tribe  of  Levi ;  men  pretend  not  to  notice  them  any  longer, 
but  I  see  them.  Marianne  Meier,  now  listen  to  what  I  am  going  to 
tell  you,  and  reply  to  me  :  tell  me  what  is  the  matter  with  the  Prin- 
cess von  Eibenberg?  What  is  the  reason  she  is  not  happy?  Look 
around  in  her  house,  Marianne  Meier ;  you  will  behold  there  such 
opulence  and  magnificence  as  you  never  knew  in  the  days  of  your 
childhood.  Look  at  her  gilt  furniture,  her  carpets  and  lustres ;  look 
at  the  beautiful  paintings  on  the  walls,  and  at  the  splendid  solid 
plate  in  her  chests.  Look  at  her  velvet  and  silk  dresses,  adorned 
with  gold  and  silver  embroidery ;  look  at  her  diamonds,  her  other 
precious  stones  and  jewelry.  Do  you  know  still,  Marianne  Meier, 
how  often,  in  the  days  of  your  childhood  and  early  youth,  you  have 
longed,  with  scalding  tears,  for  all  those  things?  Do  you  know 
still,  Marianne  Meier,  how  often  you  have  wrung  your  hands  and 
wailed,  'Would  to  God  I  were  rich  !  For  he  who  is  rich  is  happy  !' 
The  Princess  von  Eibenberg  is  rich,  Marianne  Meier  ;  why,  then,  is 
she  not  happy?  If  it  had  been  predicted  to  you  at  that  time,  when 
you  were  only  sighing  for  wealth,  Marianne  Meier,  that  you  would 
be  a  princess  one  day,  and  carry  your  Jewish  head  proudly  erect  in 
the  most  aristocratic  society,  would  you  not  have  believed  that  this 
was  the  acme  of  happiness,  and  that  your  boldest  wishes  had  been 
fulfilled?  Ah,  Marianne  Meier,  I  have  reached  this  acme,  and  yet 
it  seems  to  me  that  I  am  much  more  remote  from  happiness  than  you 
ever  were  at  that  time  !  You  had  then  something  to  struggle  for ; 
you  had  a  great  aim.  But  what  have  I  got?  I  have  reached  my 
aim,  and  there  is  nothing  for  me  to  accomplish  and  to  struggle  for ! 
That  is  the  secret  of  my  melancholy  ;  I  have  nothing  to  struggle  for. 
I  have  reached  the  acme  of  my  prosperity,  and  every  step  I  advance 
is  a  step  down-hill  toward  the  grave,  and  when  the  grave  closes 
over  me  nothing  will  remain  of  me,  and  my  name  will  be  forgotten, 
while  the  name  of  the  hateful  usurper  will  resound  through  all  ages 
like  a  golden  harp!  Oh,  a  little  glory,  a  little  immortality  on 
earth ;  that,  Marianne  Meier,  is  what  the  ambitious  heart  of  the 


PATRIOTISM.  407 

Princess  v^on  Eibenberg  is  longing  for ;  that  is  the  object  for  which 
she  would  willingly  sacrifice  years  of  her  life.  Life  is  now  so 
boundlessly  tedious  and  empty  ;  it  is  nothing  but  a  glittering  phrase ; 
nothing  but  a  smiling  and  gorgeous  but  dull  repetition  of  the  same 
thing!  But,  hark!  What  is  that?"  She  suddenly  interrupted  her- 
self.  "  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  heard  steps  in  the  small  corridor. 
Yes,  I  was  not  mistaken.  Somebody  is  at  the  door.  Oh,  it  is  he, 
then  ;  it  is  Gentz. " 

She  rushed  toward  the  door,  and  opening  it  hastily,  she  said,  "Is 
it  you,  my  beloved  friend?" 

"If  you  apply  this  epithet  to  me,  Marianne,  yes,  it  is  I,"  replied 
Gentz,  entering  the  room. 

"And  to  whom  else  should  I  apply  it,  Frederick?"  she  asked, 
reproachfully.  "  Who  but  you  has  got  a  key  to  my  house  and  to  this 
door?  Who  but  you  is  allowed  to  enter  my  house  and  my  room  at 
any  hour  of  the  day  or  night?" 

"  Perhaps  Lord  Paget,  my  powerful  and  fine-looking  rival, "  said 
Gentz,  carelessly,  and  without  the  least  shade  of  bitterness,  while 
he  sat  down  on  the  sofa  with  evident  symptoms  of  weariness  and 
exhaustion. 

"Are  you  jealous  of  Lord  Paget?"  she  asked,  taking  a  seat  by  his 
side,  and  placing  her  hand,  sparkling  with  diamond-rings,  on  his 
shoulder.  "  Remember,  my  friend,  that  it  was  solely  in  obedience 
to  your  advice  that  I  did  not  reject  the  attentions  of  the  dear  lord 
and  entered  into  this  political  liaison. " 

"I  know,  I  know,"  said  Gentz,  deprecatingly  ;  "nor  have  I  come 
to  quarrel  with  you  about  such  trifles.  I  have  not  come  as  a  jealous 
lover  who  wishes  to  upbraid  his  beloved  with  the  attentions  she  has 
shown  to  other  men,  but  as  a  poor,  desponding  man  who  appears 
before  his  friend  to  pour  his  lamentations,  his  despair  into  her 
bosom,  and  to  ask  her  for  a  little  sympathy  with  his  rage  and  grief. " 

"My  friend,  what  has  occurred?"  asked  Marianne,  in  dismay. 
"  Where  have  you  been  during  the  week,  since  I  have  not  seen  you  ? 
You  took  leave  of  me  in  a  hurried  note,  stating  that  you  would  set 
out  on  an  important  journey,  although  you  did  not  tell  me  whither 
you  were  going.  Where  have  you  been,  Frederick  ?" 

"I  was  in  Olmutz  with  the  emperor  and  with  the  ministers," 
sighed  Gentz.  "  I  hoped  to  promote  there  the  triumph  of  the  good 
cause  and  of  Germany  ;  I  hoped  to  witness  a  brilliant  victory,  and 
now — " 

"And  now?"  asked  Marianne,  breathlessly,  when  Gentz  paused. 

"Now  I  have  witnessed  a  disgraceful  defeat,"  groaned  Gentz. 

Marianne  uttered  a  cry,  and  her  eyes  flashed  angrily.  "  He  has 
conquered  again?"  she  asked,  in  a  husky  voice. 


408  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  He  has  conquered,  and  we  have  been  beaten, "  exclaimed  Gentz, 
in  a  loud  and  bitter  tone.  "The  last  hope  of  Germany,  nay,  of 
Europe,  is  gone ;  the  Russians  were  defeated  with  us  in  a  terrible 
battle.  The  disaster  is  an  irretrievable  one,  all  the  armies  of  Prussia 
being  unable  to  restore  the  lost  prestige  of  the  coalition  !  *  The  Rus- 
sians have  already  retreated,  and  the  Emperor  Alexander  has  set 
out  to-night  in  order  to  return  to  his  dominions. " 

"And  he, "  muttered  Marianne,  "Tie  is  celebrating  another  tri- 
umph over  us !  He  is  marching  onwaid  proudly  and  victoriously, 
while  we  are  lying,  crushed  and  humiliated,  in  the  dust  of  degrada- 
tion. Is  it  Thy  will  that  it  should  be  so,  God  in  heaven?"  she  asked, 
turning  her  eyes  upward  with  an  angry  glance.  "  Hast  Thou  no 
thunderbolt  for  this  Titan  who  is  rebelling  against  the  laws  of  the 
world?  Wilt.  Thou  permit  this  upstart  to  render  all  countries  un- 
happy, and  to  enslave  all  nations?" 

"Yes,  God  permits  him  to  do  so,"  exclaimed  Gentz,  laughing 
scornfully.  "  God  has  destined  him  to  be  a  scourge  to  chastise  us 
for  our  own  impotence.  We  do  not  succumb  owing  to  his  great- 
ness, but  owing  to  our  weakness.  The  Austrian  cabinet  is  respon- 
sible for  our  misfortunes  1  I  have  long  since  perceived  the  utter  lack 
of  ability,  the  contemptible  character,  nay,  the  infamy  of  this  cabi- 
net ;  in  former  times  I  used  to  denounce  our  Austrian  cabinet  to  the 
other  cabinets  of  Europe  as  the  real  source  of  the  calamities  of  our 
period,  and  to  unveil  to  them  the  whole  terrible  truth.  Oh,  if  they 
had  heeded  my  warnings,  when  I  wrote  last  June,  and  as  late  as  in 
the  beginning  of  August,  to  many  prominent  men,  'Beware  with 
whom  you  enter  into  a  coalition  !  Do  not  be  deceived  by  an  illusory 
semblance  of  improvement.  They  are  the  same  as  ever !  With 
them  no  great  undertaking,  either  in  the  cabinet  or  in  the  field,  will 
succeed ;  their  rejection  is  the  conditio  sine  qua  non  of  the  preser- 
vation of  Europe.  It  was  all  in  vain !  Finally,  I  was  left  alone 
with  my  warnings  ;  every  one  deserted  me  !"  f 

"  I  did  not  desert  you,  Frederick, "  said  Marianne,  reproachfully, 
"  and  I  compelled  Lord  Paget,  too,  to  support  your  views.  Thanks 
to  our  united  efforts,  that  stupid  Count  Colloredo,  at  least,  was  forced 
to  withdraw  from  the  cabinet. " 

"  That  is  a  consolation,  but  no  hope, "  said  Gentz.  "  So  long  as 
the  other  ministers  will  retain  their  positions,  every  thing  will  be 
in  vain.  Every  thing  is  so  diseased  and  rotten  that,  unless  the  whole 
be  thrown  away,  there  is  no  reasonable  hope  left.  I  hoped  the  Em- 
peror of  Russia  would  boldly  denounce  the  incapacity  of  the  cabinet, 

*  Gentz's  own  words. — Vide  Gentz's  "  Correspondence  with  Johannes  von  Mttller," 
p.  150. 

tGentz's  "  Correspondence,"  etc.,  p.  144. 


PATRIOTISM.  409 

and  by  his  powerful  influence  succeed  in  cleansing  our  Augean 
stable,  but  he  is  too  gentle  for  such  an  undertaking,  and  has  no  man 
of  irresistible  power  and  energy  at  his  side.  He  beheld  our  misery  ; 
he  greatly  deplored  it,  but  refused  to  meddle  with  the  domestic 
affairs  of  Austria.  Thus  every  thing  was  lost,  and  he  was  himself 
disgracefully  defeated. " 

"And  now  we  have  submitted  altogether?"  asked  Marianne. 
"We  have  made  peace  with  the  usurper?" 

"We  have  begged  him  to  make  peace  with  us,  you  mean,  and  he 
will  dictate  the  terms  in  which  we  shall  have  to  acquiesce.  Oh, 
Marianne,  when  I  think  of  the  events  of  the  last  few  days,  I  am 
seized  with  rage  and  grief,  and  hardly  know  how  I  shall  be  able  to 
live  henceforward.  Just  listen  how  we  have  begged  for  peace! 
Yesterday,  two  days  after  the  battle,  the  Emperor  Francis  sent 
Prince  John  of  Lichtenstein  to  Napoleon,  who  had  established  his 
headquarters  at  Austerlitz,  in  a  mansion  belonging  to  the  Kaunitz 
family,  to  express  to  the  conqueror  his  wish  to  have  an  interview 
with  him  at  the  advanced  posts.  Napoleon  granted  it  to  him,  and 
the  Emperor  of  Germany  went  to  his  conqueror  to  beg  for  peace.  He 
was  accompanied  by  none  but  Lamberti  to  the  meeting,  which  was 
to  take  place  in  the  open  field.  Bonaparte  received  him,  surrounded 
by  all  his  generals,  chamberlains,  and  masters  of  ceremonies,  and 
with  the  whole  pomp  of  his  imperial  dignity." * 

"Oh,  what  a  terrible  disgrace  and  humiliation!"  exclaimed 
Marianne,  bursting  into  tears,  while  she  tore  the  diadem  with  a 
wild  gesture  from  her  hair  and  hurled  it  to  the  floor.  "  Who  dares 
to  adorn  himself  after  events  so  utterly  ignominious  have  occurred?" 
she  ejaculated — "who  dares  to  carry  his  head  erect  after  Germany 
has  been  thus  trampled  under  foot !  The  Emperor  of  Germany  has 
begged  the  invader  to  make  peace ;  he  has  humbly  solicited  it  like 
a  beggar  asking  alms  !  And  has  the  conqueror  graciously  granted 
his  request  ?  Oh,  tell  me  every  thing,  Frederick  !  What  took  place 
at  that  interview?  What  did  they  say  to  each  other?" 

"  I  can  tell  you  but  little  about  it, "  said  Gentz,  shrugging  his 
shoulders,  "for  the  two  emperors  conversed  without  witnesses. 
Bonaparte  left  his  suite  at  the  bivouac  fire  kindled  by  his  soldiers, 
and  Lamberti  also  went  thither.  The  two  emperors  then  embraced 
each  other  like  two  friends  who  had  not  met  for  years. "  f 

"  And  the  Emperor  Francis  had  not  sufficient  strength  to  strangle 
the  fiend  with  his  arms?"  asked  Marianne,  trembling  with  wrath 
and  grief. 

*  This  account  of  the  Interview  of  the  two  emperors  may  be  found  verbatim  in  a 
letter  from  Gentz  to  Johannes  von  Miiller.    Vide  "  Correspondence,"  etc.,  p.  154. 
t  Historical. 


410  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"He  had  neither  the  strength  nor  the  inclination,  I  suppose," 
said  Gentz,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  When  Napoleon  released  the 
unfortunate  Emperor  Francis  from  his  arms,  he  pointed  with  a 
proud  glance  toward  heaven  and  said  :  '  Such  are  the  palaces  which 
your  majesty  has  obliged  me  to  inhabit  for  these  three  months. ' 

" '  The  abode  in  them, '  replied  the  Austrian  monarch,  '  makes 
you  so  thriving  that  you  have  no  right  to  be  angry  with  me  for  it. ' 

" '  I  only  ask  your  majesty, '  said  Napoleon,  hastily,  '  not  to  renew 
the  war  against.  France. ' 

" '  I  pledge  you  my  word  as  a  man  and  a  sovereign  that  I  shall  do 
so  no  more, '  replied  Francis,  loudly  and  unhesitatingly.  The  con- 
versation then  was  continued  in  a  lower  tone,  and  neither  Lamberti 
nor  the  French  marshals  were  able  to  understand  another  word. "  * 

"The  interview  lasted  two  hours,  and  then  the  two  emperors 
parted  with  reiterated  demonstrations  of  cordiality.  The  Emperor 
Francis  returned  silently,  and  absorbed  in  his  reflections  to  his 
headquarters  at  Austerlitz.  Hitherto  he  had  not  uttered  a  word; 
but  when  he  saw  the  Prince  von  Lichtenstein,  he  beckoned  him  to 
approach,  and  said  to  him  in  a  low  voice,  and  with  suppressed 
anger,  '  Now  that  I  have  seen  him,  he  is  more  intolerable  to  me  than 
ever. '  f  That  was  the  only  utterance  he  gave  to  his  rage  ;  as  for  the 
rest,  he  seemed  contented  with  the  terms  he  obtained. " 

"  And  were  the  terms  honorable  ?"  asked  Marianne. 

"  Honorable  !"  said  Gentz,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  Napoleon 
demanded,  above  all,  that  the  Russian  army  should  retire  speedily 
from  the  Austrian  territories,  and  the  emperor  promised  this  to  him. 
Hence,  the  Emperor  Alexander  has  departed ;  the  Russian  army  is 
retreating ;  one  part  of  it  is  going  to  Prussia,  while  the  other  is  re- 
turning to  Poland.  The  cabinet  of  Vienna,  therefore,  is  free ;  that 
is  to  say,  it  is  left  to  its  own  peculiar  infamy  without  any  bounds 
whatever,  and  thus  peace  will  be  made  soon  enough.  Those  con- 
temptible men  will  submit  to  any  thing,  provided  he  gives  up 
Vienna.  Finance -minister  Fichy  said  to  me  in  Olmutz  yesterday, 
'Peace  will  be  cheap,  if  we  have  merely  to  cede  the  Tyrol,  Venice, 
and  a  portion  of  Upper  Austria,  and  we  should  be  content  with 
such  terms. '  Ah,  if  they  could  only  be  got  rid  of,  what  a  splendid 
thing  the  fall  of  the  monarchy  would  be  !  But  to  lose  the  provinces, 
honor,  Germany,  Europe,  and  to  keep  Fichy,  Ungart,  Cobenzl, 
Collenbach,  Lamberti,  Dietrichstein — no  satisfaction,  no  revenge — 
not  a  single  one  of  the  dogs  hung  or  quartered,— it  is  impossible  to 
digest  that ! "  \ 

*  "  M6moires  du  Due  de  Rovigo,"  vol.  H.,  p.  215. 
tHSusser's  "  History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  600. 

t  Gentz's  own  words.— Vide  his  "  Correspondence  with  Johannes  von  Miiller,"  p. 
166. 


PATRIOTISM.  411 

"  It  is  true, "  said  Marianne,  musingly,  and  in  a  low  voice,  "  this 
is  a  boundless  disgrace  ;  and  if  men  will  submit  to  it,  and  bow  their 
heads,  it  is  time  for  women  to  raise  theirs,  and  to  become  lionesses 
in  order  to  tear  the  enemy  opposing  them  !  And  what  do  you  in- 
tend doing  now,  my  friend?"  she  then  asked  aloud,  forcibly  dispel- 
ling her  painful  emotions.  "What  are  your  prospects?  What  plan 
of  battle  will  you  draw  up  for  us?" 

"  I  have  no  prospects  at  all,  and  I  have  given  up  drawing  plans  of 
battle, "  said  Gentz,  sighing.  "  After  exhausting  my  last  strength 
for  five  days  during  my  sojourn  in  Olmtitz,  I  am  done  with  every 
thing,  and  I  have  withdrawn  weary  and  satiated  ad  nauseam.  Our 
ministers  have  gone  to  Presburg,  for  the  purpose  of  negotiating  there 
with  the  plenipotentiaries  of  Bonaparte  about  the  terms  of  peace. " 

"  And  where  is  he  at  present — where  is  the  proud  triumphator  ?  " 
asked  Marianne,  hastily. 

"  He  left  Austerlitz  to-night,  and  will  reside  again  at  Schonbrunn 
until  peace  has  been  concluded. " 

"Ah,  in  Schonbrunn!"  said  Marianne,  "that  is  to  say,  here  in 
Vienna.  And  you,  Frederick,  will  you  remain  here,  too?" 

"After  making  peace,  they  will  banish  me,  of  course,  from 
Vienna ;  for  Bonaparte  knows  my  hatred  against  him,  and  more- 
over, he  knows  it  to  be  implacable.  Hence,  I  prefer  going  volun- 
tarily into  exile,  and  shall  repair  to  Breslau,  where  I  shall  find 
plenty  of  friends  and  acquaintances.  There  I  will  live,  amuse  my- 
self, be  a  man  like  all  of  them,  that  is  to  say,  gratify  nothing  but 
my  egotism,  and  take  rest  after  so  many  annoyances  and  struggles. " 

"That  cannot  be  true — that  cannot  be  possible!"  exclaimed 
Marianne,  ardently.  "A  patriot,  a  man  like  you,  does  not  repose 
and  amuse  himself,  while  his  country  is  plunged  into  misery  and 
disgrace.  I  repeat  to  you  what  Arnauld  said  to  his  friend  Nicole, 
when  the  latter,  tired  of  the  struggle  for  Jansenism,  declared  to  him 
that  he  would  retire  and  repose:  '  Vous  reposer !  Eh!  n'avez-vous 
pfis  pour  vous  reposer  Veternite.  toute  entiere  ? '  If  those  men  were 
filled  with  so  undying  an  enthusiasm  for  an  insipid  quarrel  about 
mere  sophistries,  how  could  you  take  rest,  since  eternity  itself, 
whether  it  be  repose  or  motion,  offers  nothing  more  sublime  than  a 
struggle  for  the  liberty  and  dignity  of  the  world?" 

"  God  bless  you  for  these  words,  Marianne  !  "  exclaimed  Gentz, 
enthusiastically,  while  he  embraced  his  friend  passionately,  and 
imprinted  a  glowing  kiss  on  her  forehead.  "  Oh,  Marianne,  I  only 
wished  to  try  you  ;  I  wanted  to  see  whether,  with  the  ardor  of  your 
love  for  me,  the  ardor  of  the  holy  cause  represented  by  me,  had 
also  left  you ;  I  only  wanted  to  know  whether,  now  that  you  love 
me  no  longer — " 


412  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"And  how  can  you  say  that  I  love  you  no  longer?"  she  inter- 
rupted him.  "  Have  I  deserved  so  bitter  a  reproach  ?" 

"It  is  no  reproach,  Marianne,"  said  Gentz,  mournfully;  "you 
have  paid  your  tribute  to  the  vacillating,  changeable,  and  fickle 
organization  peculiar  to  every  living  creature  ;  and  so  have  I,  per- 
haps. We  are  all  perishable,  and  hence  our  feelings  must  be  perish- 
able also.  Above  all,  love  is  a  most  precious,  fragrant,  and 
enchanting  rose ;  but  its  life  lasts  but  a  day,  and  then  it  withers. 
Happy  are  those,  therefore,  who  have  improved  this  day  and  en- 
joyed the  beauty  of  the  rose,  and  passionately  inhaled  its  fragrance. 
We  did  so,  Marianne ;  and  when  we  now  look  back  to  our  day  of 
blissful  love,  we  may  say,  '  It  was  delightful  and  intoxicating,  and 
with  its  memories  it  will  shed  a  golden,  sunny  lustre  over  our  whole 
life. '  Let  us  not  revile  it,  therefore,  for  having  passed  away,  and 
let  us  not  be  angry  with  ourselves  for  not  being  able  to  prolong  it. 
The  rose  has  faded,  but  the  stem,  from  which  it  burst  forth,  must 
remain  to  us  ;  it  is  our  immortal  part.  That  stem  is  the  harmony 
of  our  sentiments  ;  it  is  the  consonance  of  our  ideas  ;  in  short,  the 
seeds  of  friendship  have  ripened  in  the  withered  flower  of  our  love. 
I  have  not,  therefore,  come  to  you,  Marianne,  to  seek  for  my  be- 
loved, but  to  find  my  friend — the  friend  who  understands  me,  who 
shares  my  views,  my  grief,  my  despair,  and  my  rage,  and  who  is 
ready  to  aspire  with  me  to  one  goal,  and  to  seek  with  me  for  it  in 
one  way.  This  goal  is  the  deliverance  of  Germany  from  the  chains 
of  slavery. " 

"Above  all,  the  annihilation  of  the  tyrant  who  wants  to  enslave 
us !"  exclaimed  Marianne,  with  flashing  eyes.  "  Tell  me  the  way 
leading  to  that  goal ;  I  will  enter  it,  even  if  it  should  be  necessary 
for  me  to  walk  on  thorns  and  pointed  swords  !" 

"The  goal  lies  before  us  clearly  and  distinctly,"  said  Gentz, 
sadly  ;  "  but  the  way  leading  to  it  is  still  obstructed,  and  so  narrow 
and  low  that  we  are  compelled,  for  the  time  being,  to  advance  very 
slowly  on  our  knees.  But  we  must  take  spades  and  work,  so  that 
the  way  may  become  wider  and  higher,  and  that  we  may  walk  on 
it  one  day,  not  with  bowed  heads,  but  drawn  up  to  our  full  height, 
our  eyes  flashing,  and  sword  in  hand.  Let  us  prepare  for  that  day ; 
let  us  work  in  the  dark  shaft,  and  other  laborers  will  join  us,  and, 
like  us,  take  spades  and  dig ;  and  in  the  dead  of  night,  with  curses 
on  our  lips  and  prayers  in  our  hearts,  we  will  dig  on,  dig  like  moles, 
until  we  have  finally  reached  our  goal,  and  burst  forth  into  the  sun- 
shine of  the  day  which  will  restore  liberty  to  Germany.  At  the 
present  time,  SECRET  SOCIETIES  may  become  very  useful.  I  always 
hated  and  despised  whatever  bore  that  name ;  but  necessity  knows 
no  law,  and  now  I  am  obliged  to  hail  them  as  the  harbingers  of  a 


PATRIOTISM.  413 

blessed  future.*  Like  the  first  church,  the  great  secret  society  of 
Germany  ought  to  be  enthusiastic,  self-reliant,  and  thoroughly 
organized  ;  its  aim  ought  to  be  the  destruction  of  Bonaparte's  tyr- 
anny, reconstruction  of  the  states,  restoration  of  the  legitimate 
sovereigns,  introduction  of  a  better  system  of  government,  and,  last, 
everlasting  resistance  to  the  principles  which  have  brought  about 
our  indifference,  prostration,  and  meanness.  And  now,  Marianne, 
I  come  to  ask  you  as  the  worthiest  patriot,  as  the  most  intrepid  and 
generous  man  I  know  and  revere — Marianne,  will  you  join  this 
secret  society  ?" 

He  gave  her  his  hand  with  a  glance  full  of  the  most  profound 
emotion ;  and  she  returned  his  glance  with  her  large,  open  eyes, 
warmly  grasping  his  hand. 

"I  will,  so  help  me  God!"  she  said,  solemnly;  "  I  will  join  your 
eecret  society,  and  I  will  travel  around  and  win  over  men  to  our 
league.  I  will  seek  for  catacombs  where  we  may  pray,  and  exhort, 
and  encourage  each  other  to  struggle  on  with  unflagging  zeal.  I 
will  enlist  brethren  and  adherents  in  all  circles,  in  the  highest  as 
well  as  in  the  lowest ;  and  the  peasant  as  well  as  the  prince,  the 
countess  as  well  as  the  citizen's  wife,  shall  become  brethren  and 
sisters  of  the  holy  covenant,  the  aim  of  which  is  to  be  the  deliver- 
ance of  Germany  from  the  tyrant's  yoke.  My  activity  and  zeal  to 
promote  the  good  work  you  have  begun  shall  prove  to  you,  my 
friend,  whether  I  love  you  still,  and  whether  my  mind  has  compre- 
hended you. " 

"I  counted  on  your  mind,  Marianne,  after  I  ceased  building  my 
hopes  on  your  heart !"  exclaimed  Gentz,  "  and  I  was  not  mistaken. 
Your  mind  has  comprehended  me  ;  it  is  the  same  as  mine.  Let  us, 
therefore,  go  to  work  with  joyful  courage  and  make  our  first  steps 
forward.  The  time  when  there  was  still  a  hope  that  the  sword 
might  save  our  cause  is  past ;  the  sword  lies  broken  at  our  feet. 
Now  we  have  two  weapons  left,  but  they  are  no  less  sharp,  eutting, 
and  fatal  than  the  sword. " 

"These  weapons  are  the  tongue  and  the  pen?"  said  Marianne, 
smiling. 

"  Yes,  you  have  understood  me, "  said  Gentz,  joyfully,  "  these  are 
our  weapons.  You,  my  beautiful  comrade,  will  wield  one  of  these 
weapons,  the  tongue,  and  I  shall  wield  the  other,  the  pen.  And  I 
have  already  commenced  doing  so,  and  written  in  the  sleepless 
nights  of  these  last  few  days  a  pamphlet  which  I  should  like  to  flit, 
like  a  pigeon,  over  Germany,  so  that  everywhere  it  may  be  seen, 
understood  and  appreciated.  The  title  of  this  pamphlet  is  Germany 
in  her  Deepest  Degradation.  It  is  an  outcry  of  my  grief,  by  which 
*Qentz's  own  words.— Vide  "  Correspondence,"  etc.,  p.  163. 


414  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

I  intend  arousing  the  German  people,  so  that  they  may  wake  up  at 
last  from  their  long  torpor,  seize  the  sword  and  rise  in  the  exuber- 
ance of  their  vigor  for  the  purpose  of  expelling  the  tyrant.  But, 
alas  !  where  shall  I  find  one  who  will  dare  to  print  it ;  a  censor  who 
will  not  expunge  its  most  powerful  passages;  and,  finally,  book- 
sellers who  will  venture  to  offer  so  bold  a  work  to  their  customers?" 

"  Give  your  manuscript  to  me  !  "  exclaimed  Marianne,  enthusias- 
tically ;  "  I  will  cause  it  to  be  printed,  and  if  there  should  be  no 
booksellers  to  circulate  it,  I  will  travel  as  your  agent  throughout  the 
whole  of  Germany,  and  in  the  night-time  secretly  scatter  your  pam- 
phlet in  the  streets  of  all  the  German  cities,  so  that  their  inhabitants 
may  find  it  in  the  morning — a  manna  fallen  from  heaven  to  nourish 
and  invigorate  them.  Give  your  manuscript  to  me,  Frederick 
Gentz  ;  let  it  be  the  first  solemn  act  of  our  secret  league  I" 

"  Just  see  how  well  I  understood  you,  and  how  entirely  I  counted 
on  your  cooperation,  Marianne, "  said  Gentz,  drawing  a  small  pack- 
age from  his  side  pocket  and  placing  it  in  her  hands.  "  Here  is  my 
manuscript ;  seek  for  a  printer  and  for  a  bookseller  to  publish  it ; 
give  it  the  blessing  of  your  protection,  and  promote  its  general 
circulation  to  the  best  of  your  ability. " 

"I  shall  do  so  most  assuredly,"  replied  Marianne,  placing  her 
hand  on  the  package,  as  though  she  were  taking  an  oath.  "In  less 
than  a  month's  time  the  German  people  shall  read  this  pamphlet. 
It  shall  be  only  the  first  comet  which  tlae  secret  league  of  which  we 
are  now  members  causes  to  appear  on  the  dark  firmament.  Count  on 
me  ;  your  manuscript  will  be  published. " 

Gentz  bent  over  her  hand  and  kissed  it.     He  then  rose. 

"  My  purpose  is  accomplished, "  he  said  ;  "  I  came  to  Vienna  only 
to  see  you  and  enlist  you  as  a  member  of  my  secret  society.  My 
purpose  is  accomplished,  and  I  shall  set  out  within  an  hour." 

"And  why  are  you  in  such  a  hurry,  my  friend?  Why  depart  in 
BO  stormy  and  wintry  a  night?"  asked  Marianne.  "Remain  with 
me  for  another  day. " 

"It  is  impossible,  Marianne,"  said  Gentz,  deprecatingly. 
"  Friends  like  ourselves  must  have  no  secrets  from  each  other,  and 
are  allowed  fearlessly  to  tell  each  other  every  thing.  The  Countess 
of  Lankoronska  is  waiting  for  me;  I  shall  set  out  with  her  for 
Breslau. " 

"Ah,"  exclaimed  Marianne,  reproachfully,  "Lord  Paget,  too,  is 
going  to  leave  Vienna,  but  I  do  not  desert  you  in  order  to  accompany 
him  ;  I  remain. " 

"You  are  the  sun  around  which  the  planets  are  revolving,"  said 
Gentz,  smiling;  "but  I  am  nothing  but  a  planet.  I  am  revolving 
around  my  sun. " 


PATRIOTISM.  415 

"You  love  the  Countess  of  Lankoronska,  then?" 

"She  is  to  me  the  quintessence  of  all  womanly  and  of  many 
manly  accomplishments !"  exclaimed  Gentz,  enthusiastically. 

"  And  she  will  also  join  our  secret  society  ?"  asked  Marianne. 

"  No, "  said  Gentz,  hastily.  "  My  heart  adores  her,  but  my  mind 
will  never  forget  that  she  is  a  Russian.  Next  to  cold  death  and  the 
French,  I  hate  nothing  so  cordially  as  the  Russians. " 

"  Still  you  have  lived  for  a  month  with  a  Russian  lady,  of  whom 
you  are  enamoured. " 

"And  precisely  in  this  month  my  hatred  has  increased  to  an 
astonishing  extent.  I  despise  the  Austrians ;  I  am  indignant  at 
their  weakness,  but  still  I  also  pity  them  ;  and  when  I  see  them,  as 
was  the  case  this  time,  trampled  under  foot  by  the  Russian  barba- 
rians, my  German  bowels  turn,  and  I  feel  that  the  Austrians  are  my 
brethren.  During  the  last  few  days  I  have  frequently  met  Constan- 
tine,  the  grand-duke,  and  the  other  distinguished  Russians ;  and 
the  blind,  stupid,  and  impudent  national  pride  with  which  they 
assailed  Austria  and  Germany  generally,  calling  our  country  a 
despicable  part  of  earth,  where  none  but  traitors  and  cowards  were 
to  be  found,  cut  me  to  the  quick.  I  know  very  well  that  we  are  at 
present  scarcely  allowed  to  maintain  our  dignity  as  Germans ;  our 
government  has  reduced  us  to  so  degrading  a  position  :  but  when  we 
keep  in  mind  what  the  Russians  are,  compared  with  us ;  when  we 
have  mournfully  witnessed  for  two  months  that  they  are  unable,  in 
spite  of  the  bravery  of  their  troops,  to  make  any  headway  against 
the  French,  and  that  they  have  injured  rather  than  improved  our 
condition  ;  when  we  see  those  insulting  and  scorning  us  who  cannot 
even  claim  the  merit  of  having  saved  us,  only  then  we  become  fully 
alive  to  the  consciousness  of  our  present  degradation  and  abject 
misery !"  * 

"God  be  praised  that  such  are  your  thoughts  !"  exclaimed  Mari- 
anne, "  for  now  I  may  hope  at  least  that  the  Countess  of  Lankoronska, 
even  though  every  thing  should  fail  here,  will  not  succeed  in  entic- 
ing you  to  Russia.  I  am  sure,  Gentz,  you  will  not  accompany  her 
to  the  cold,  distant  north  !" 

"  God  forbid  !"  replied  Gentz,  shuddering.  "  If  every  thing  should 
fail,  I  shall  settle  somewhere  in  the  southern  provinces  of  Austria, 
in  Carinthia  or  in  the  Tyrol,  where  one  may  hear  the  people  speak 
German,  and  live  there  with  the  plants  and  stars  which  I  know  and 
love,  and  with  God,  in  some  warm  nook,  no  matter  what  tyrant  or 
proconsul  may  rule  over  me.  f  And  now,  Marianne,  let  us  part. 
I  do  not  promise  that  our  meeting  will  be  a  joyful  one,  for  I  hardly 

*Gentz's  own  words.—"  Correspondence,11  pp.  159,  167. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  167. 


416  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

count  on  any  more  joyful  days,  but  I  say  that  we  will  meet  at  the 
right  hour.  And  the  right  hour  will  be  for  us  only  the  hour  when 
we  shall  have  reached  the  goal  of  our  secret  league  ;  when  we  shall 
have  aroused  the  German  people,  and  when  they  will  rise  like  a 
courageous  giant  whom  no  one  is  able  to  withstand,  and  who  will  expel 
the  invader  with  his  hordes  from  the  soil  of  Germany !  Farewell !" 

"  Farewell, "  said  Marianne,  feelingly.  "  My  friend  will  always 
be  welcome,  and  cordial  greetings  will  be  in  store  for  him  whenever 
he  comes.  Remember  that,  my  friend  ;  I  say  no  more  '  my  beloved, ' 
for  the  Countess  of  Lankoronska  might  be  jealous !" 

"And  she  might  inform  Lord  Paget  of  it,"  said  Gentz,  smiling. 
He  then  kissed  Marianne's  hand,  and  took  his  hat  and  overcoat. 
"  Farewell,  Marianne,  and  do  not  forget  our  league  and  my  manu- 
script. " 

"  I  shall  not  forget  any  thing,  for  I  shall  not  forget  you, "  she  re- 
plied, giving  him  her  hand. 

Thus,  hand  in  hand,  they  walked  to  the  door  ;  then  they  nodded 
a  last  silent  greeting  to  each  other,  and  Gentz  left  the  room. 

Marianne  listened  to  his  steps  until  they  had  died  away.  She 
then  drew  a  deep  breath,  and  commenced  once  more  slowly  pacing 
the  room. 

The  tapers  on  the  silver  chandeliers  had  burned  down  very  low, 
and  their  liquid  wax  trickled  slowly  and  lazily  on  the  marble  table. 
Whenever  Marianne  passed  them,  the  draught  fanned  them  to  a 
blaze  ;  then  they  shed  a  lurid  light  on  the  tall,  queenly  form  in  the 
magnificent  dress,  and  grew  dim  again  when  Marianne  stepped  back 
into  the  darker  parts  of  the  long  room. 

Suddenly  she  exclaimed  in  a  joyful  voice:  "Yes,  I  have  found 
it  at  last !  That  is  the  path  leading  to  the  goal ;  that  is  the  path  I 
have  to  pursue. "  With  rapid  steps  she  hastened  back  to  the  looking- 
glass.  "  Marianne  Meier, "  she  cried  aloud — "  Marianne  Meier,  listen 
to  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you.  The  Princess  von  Eibenberg  has 
discovered  a  remedy  to  dispel  her  weariness  and  dull  repose — a 
remedy  that  will  immortalize  her  name.  Good-night,  Marianne 
Meier,  now  you  may  go  to  sleep,  for  the  Princess  von  Eibenberg 
will  take  care  of  herself !" 


CHAPTER    LI. 

JUDITH. 

MARIANNE  was  awakened  after  a  short  and  calm  slumber  by  the 
low  sound  of  stealthy  steps  approaching  her  couch.  She  opened  her 
eyes  hastily,  and  beheld  her  mistress  of  ceremonies,  who  stood  at 


JUDITH.  417 

her  bedside,   holding  in  her  hand  a  golden  salver  with  a  letter 
on  it. 

"  What,  Camilla, "  she  asked,  in  terror,  "you  have  not  yet  dis- 
patched the  letter  which  I  gave  you  last  night?  Did  I  not  instruct 
you  to  have  it  delivered  by  the  footman  early  in  the  morning?" 

"Yes,  your  highness,  and  I  have  faithfully  carried  out  your 
orders, " 

"  Well,  and  this  letter?" 

"  Is  the  major's  reply.  Your  highness  ordered  me  to  awaken  you 
as  soon  as  the  footman  would  bring  the  answer. " 

Marianne  hastily  seized  the  letter  and  broke  the  seal. 

"  He  will  come, "  she  said,  loudly  and  joyfully,  after  reading  the 
few  lines  the  letter  contained.  "What  o'clock  is  it,  Camilla?" 

"Your  highness,  it  is  just  ten  o'clock. " 

"  And  I  am  looking  for  visitors  already  at  eleven  o'clock.  Quick, 
Madame  Camilla,  tell  my  maid  to  arrange  every  thing  in  the  dress- 
ing-room. Please  see  to  it  yourself  that  I  may  find  there  an  elegant, 
rich,  and  not  too  matronly,  morning  costume. " 

"  Will  your  highness  put  on  the  dress  which  Lord  Paget  received 
the  other  day  for  you  from  London  ?"  asked  Madame  Camilla.  "  Your 
highness  has  never  yet  worn  it,  and  his  lordship  would  doubtless 
rejoice  at  seeing  your  highness  in  this  charming  costume. " 

"I  do  not  expect  Lord  Paget,"  said  Marianne,  with  a  stern 
glance  ;  *  besides,  you  ought  to  confine  your  advice  to  matters  relat- 
ing to  my  toilet.  Do  not  forget  it  any  more.  Now  bring  me  my 
chocolate,  I  will  take  it  in  bed.  In  the  mean  time  cause  an  invigo- 
rating, perfumed  bath  to  be  prepared,  and  tell  the  cook  that  I  wish 
him  to  serve  up  a  sumptuous  breakfast  for  two  persons  in  the  small 
dining-room  in  the  course  of  an  hour.  Go. " 

Madame  Camilla  withdrew  to  carry  out  the  various  orders  her 
mistress  had  given  her,  but  she  did  not  do  so  joyfully  and  readily  as 
usual,  but  with  a  grave  face  and  careworn  air. 

"  There  is  something  going  on, "  she  whispered,  slowly  gliding 
down  the  corridor.  "Yes,  there  is  something  going  on,  and  at 
length  I  shall  have  an  opportunity  for  spying  and  reporting  what  I 
have  discovered.  Well,  I  get  my  pay  from  two  men,  from  the 
French  governor  of  Vienna  and  from  Lord  Paget.  Would  to  God  I 
could  serve  both  of  them  to-day  !  As  for  Lord  Paget,  I  have  already 
some  news  for  him,  for  Mr.  von  Gentz  was  with  her  last  night,  and 
remained  for  two  hours  ;  my  mistress  then  wrote  a  letter  to  Major 
von  Brandt,  which  I  had  to  dispatch  early  in  the  morning.  And 
this  is  exactly  the  point,  concerning  which  I  do  not  know  whether 
it  ought  to  be  reported  to  my  French  customer  or  to  the  English 
lord.  Well,  I  will  consider  the  matter.  I  will  watch  every  step 


418  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

of  hers,  for  it  is  certain  that  something  extraordinary  is  going  on 
here,  and  I  want  to  know  what  it  is. " 

And,  after  taking  this  resolution,  Madame  Camilla  accelerated 
her  steps  to  deliver  the  orders  of  the  princess  to  the  cook. 

An  hour  later,  the  lady's  maid  had  finished  the  toilet  of  the 
princess,  who  approached  the  large  looking-glass  in  order  to  cast  a 
last  critical  look  on  her  appearance. 

A  charming  smile  of  satisfaction  overspread  her  fair  face  when 
she  beheld  her  enchanting  image  in  the  glass,  and  she  said,  with  a 
triumphant  air,  "Yes,  it  is  true,  this  woman  is  beautiful  enough 
even  to  court  the  favor  of  an  emperor.  Do  you  not  think  so,  too, 
Madame  Camilla?" 

Madame  Camilla  had  watched,  with  a  very  attentive  and  grave 
face,  every  word  her  mistress  uttered,  but  now  she  hastened  to  smile. 

"  Your  highness, "  she  said,  "  if  we  lived  still  in  the  days  of  the 
ancient  gods,  I  would  not  trust  any  butterfly  nor  any  bird,  nay,  not 
even  a  gold-piece,  for,  behind  every  thing.  I  should  suspect  Jove 
disguised,  for  the  purpose  of  surprising  my  beautiful  mistress. " 

Marianne  laughed.  "  Ah,  how  learned  you  are, "  she  said.  "  You 
refer  even  to  the  disguised  bull  of  poor  Europa  and  to  the  golden 
rain  of  Danae.  But  fear  not ;  no  disguised  god  will  penetrate  into 
my  rooms,  for  unhappily  the  time  of  gods  and  demi-gods  is  past." 

"Nevertheless,  those  arrogant  French  would  like  to  make  the 
world  believe  that  M.  Bonaparte  had  restored  that  time,"  said 
Madame  Camilla,  with  a  contemptuous  air;  "they  would  like  to 
persuade  us  that  the  son  of  that  Corsican  lawyer  was  a  last  and  be- 
lated son  of  Jove. " 

"Oh  !"  exclaimed  Marianne,  triumphantly  ;  "the  world  shall  dis- 
cover soon  enough  that  he  is  nothing  but  a  miserable  son  of  earth, 
and  that  his  immortality,  too,  will  find  sufficient  room  between  six 
blackboards.  I  know,  Camilla,  you  hate  the  usurper  as  ardently, 
as  bitterly  and  vindictively  as  I  do,  and  this  hatred  is  the  sympa- 
thetic link  uniting  me  with  you.  Well,  let  me  tell  you  that  your 
hatred  will  speedily  be  gratified,  and  that  your  vindictiveness  will 
be  satiated.  Pray  to  God,  Camilla,  that  He  may  bless  the  hand 
about  to  be  raised  against  the  tyrant ;  pray  to  God  that  He  may 
sharpen  the  dagger  which  may  soon  be  aimed  at  his  heart !  The 
world  has  suffered  enough ;  it  is  time  that  it  should  find  an  avenger 
of  its  wrongs !" 

"  Major  von  Brandt, "  announced  a  footman,  entering  the  room. 

"  Conduct  the  major  to  the  drawing-room, "  said  Marianne,  has- 
tily ;  "I  will  join  him  directly." 

She  cast  a  last  triumphant  look  on  the  mirror,  and  then  left  the 
room. 


JUDITH.  419 

Madame  Camilla  watched  her,  with  a  scowl,  until  the  door  had 
closed  behind  her.  "  Now  I  know  whom  I  have  to  inform  of  her 
doings, "  she  muttered.  "  They  concern  the  French  governor  ;  I  have 
to  take  pains,  however,  to  find  out  more  about  her  schemes,  so  that 
my  report  may  embrace  as  much  important  information  as  possible. 
The  better  the  news,  the  better  the  pay. " 

Marianne  had  meanwhile  gone  to  the  drawing-room.  A  tall, 
elderly  officer,  in  Austrian  uniform,  with  the  epaulets  of  a  major, 
came  to  meet  her,  and  bent  down  to  kiss  reverentially  the  hand 
which  she  offered  to  him. 

Marianne  saluted  him  with  a  fascinating  smile.  "You  have 
entirely  forgotten  me,  then,  major?"  she  asked.  "It  was  necessary 
for  me  to  invite  you  in  order  to  induce  you  to  pay  me  a  visit?" 

"I  did  not  know  whether  I  might  dare  to  appear  before  you, 
most  gracious  princess,"  said  the  major,  respectfully.  "The  last 
time  I  had  the  honor  of  waiting  on  you,  I  met  your  highness  in  the 
circle  of  your  distinguished  friends  who  used  to  be  mine,  too.  But 
nobody  had  a  word  of  welcome,  a  pleasant  smile  for  me,  and  your 
highness,  it  seemed  to  me,  did  not  notice  me  during  the  whole 
evening.  Whenever  I  intended  to  approach  you,  you  averted  your 
face  and  entered  into  so  animated  a  conversation  with  one  of  the 
bystanders,  that  I  could  not  venture  to  interrupt  it.  Hence  I  with- 
drew, my  heart  filled  with  grief  and  despair,  for  I  certainly  believed 
that  your  highness  wished  to  banish  me  from  your  reception-room 
forever. " 

"  And  you  consoled  yourself  for  this  banishment  in  the  reception- 
room  of  the  French  governor  whom  the  great  Emperor  Napoleon  had 
given  to  the  good  city  of  Vienna,  I  suppose  ?"  asked  the  princess, 
with  an  arch  smile.  "And  you  would  have  never  come  back  to  me 
unless  I  had  taken  the  bold  resolution  to  invite  you  to  my  house?" 

"  By  this  invitation  you  have  rendered  me  the  happiest  of  mor- 
tals, most  gracious  princess, "  exclaimed  the  major,  emphatically. 
"You  have  reopened  to  me  the  gates  of  Paradise,  while,  in  my  de- 
spair, I  believed  them  to  be  closed  against  me  forever. " 

"  Confess,  major, "  said  Marianne,  laughing,  "  that  you  did  not 
make  the  slightest  attempt  to  see  whether  these  gates  were  merely 
ajar  or  really  closed.  Under  the  present  circumstances  we  may 
speak  honestly  and  frankly  to  each  other.  You  believed  me  to  be  an, 
ardent  patriot,  one  of  those  furious  adversaries  of  the  French  and 
their  rule,  who  do  not  look  upon  Napoleon  as  a  hero  and  genius,  but 
only  as  a  tyrant  and  usurper.  Because  I  was  the  intimate  friend  of 
Lord  Paget  and  M.  von  Gentz,  of  the  Princesses  von  Carolath  and 
Clary,  of  the  Countess  von  Colloredo,  and  Count  Cobenzl,  you  be- 
lieved that  my  political  sentiments  coincided  with  theirs?" 


420  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  Yes,  your  highness,  indeed  that  is  what  I  believed, "  said  Major 
von  Brandt,  "  and  as  you  want  me  to  tell  the  truth,  I  will  confess 
that  it  was  the  reason  why  I  did  not  venture  to  appear  again  in  your 
drawing-room.  I  have  never  denied  that  I  am  an  enthusiastic  ad- 
mirer of  that  great  man  who  is  conquering  and  subjugating  the 
whole  world,  because  God  has  destined  him  to  be  its  master. 
Hence,  I  never  was  able  to  comprehend  the  audacity  of  those  who 
instigated  our  gracious  and  noble  Emperor  Francis  to  wage  war 
against  the  victorious  hero,  and  as  a  true  and  sincere  patriot  I  now 
bless  the  dispensations  of  fate  which  compels  us  to  make  peace  with 
Napoleon  the  Great,  for  Austria  can  regain  her  former  prosperity 
only  by  maintaining  peace  and  harmony  with  France.  The  war 
against  France  has  brought  the  barbarian  hordes  of  Russia  to  Ger- 
many ;  after  the  conclusion  of  peace,  France  will  assist  us  in  ex- 
pelling these  unclean  and  unwelcome  guests  from  the  soil  of  our 
fatherland. " 

Marianne  had  listened  to  him  smilingly  and  with  an  air  of  un- 
qualified assent.  Only  once  a  slight  blush,  as  if  produced  by  an 
ebullition  of  suppressed  anger,  had  mantled  her  cheeks — only  for  a 
brief  moment  she  had  frowned,  but  she  quickly  overcame  her  indig- 
nation and  appeared  as  smiling  and  serene  as  before. 

"  I  am  precisely  of  your  opinion,  my  dear  major, "  she  said,  with 
a  fascinating  nod. 

"Your  highness  assents  to  the  views  I  have  just  uttered?"  ex- 
claimed the  major,  in  joyful  surprise. 

"Do  you  doubt  it  still?"  she  asked.  "Have  I  followed,  then,  the 
example  of  all  my  friends,  even  that  of  Lord  Paget  and  Gentz? 
Have  I  fled  from  the  capital  because  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  with 
his  army,  has  turned  his  victorious  steps  toward  Vienna?  No,  I 
have  remained,  to  the  dismay  of  all  of  them ;  I  have  remained, 
although  my  prolonged  sojourn  in  Vienna  has  deprived  me  of  two 
of  my  dearest  friends,  and  brought  about  an  everlasting  rupture  be- 
tween myself  and  Lord  Paget,  as  well  as  Herr  von  Gentz.  I  have 
remained  because  I  was  unable  to  withstand  any  longer  the  ardent 
yearning  of  my  heart — because  I  wished  to  get  at  length  a  sight  of  the 
hero  to  whom  the  whole  world  is  bowing.  But  look,  my  footman 
comes  to  tell  me  that  my  breakfast  has  been  served.  You  must  con- 
sent to  be  my  guest  to-day  and  breakfast  with  me. " 

She  took  the  major's  arm  and  went  with  him  to  the  dining- 
room.  In  the  middle  of  it  a  table  had  been  set,  on  which  splendid 
pdtes,  luscious  tropical  fruits,  and  well-spiced  salamis  agreeably 
surprised  the  major  by  their  appetizing  odor,  while  golden  Rhenish 
wine  and  dark  Tokay  in  the  white  decanters  seemed  to  beckon  him. 

They  took  seats  at  the  table  in  elastic,  soft  arm-chairs,  and  for  a 


JUDITH.  421 

while  the  conversation  was  interrupted,  for  the  pastry  and  the  other 
dainty  dishes  absorbed  their  whole  attention.  The  major,  who  was 
noted  for  his  epicurism,  enjoyed  the  delicacies  served  up  to  him 
with  the  profound  seriousness  and  immovable  tranquillity  of  a 
philosopher.  Besides,  the  princess  shared  his  enjoyment  after  a 
while  by  her  conversation,  sparkling  with  wit  and  humor  ;  she  was 
inexhaustible  in  telling  piquant  anecdotes  and  merry  bon-mots;  she 
portrayed  her  friends  and  acquaintances  in  so  skilful  a  manner  that 
the  major  did  not  know  whether  to  admire  their  striking  resem- 
blance or  the  talent  with  which  she  rendered  their  weak  traits  most 
conspicuous. 

When  they  had  reached  the  dessert,  the  princess  made  a  sign  to 
the  footman  to  leave  the  room,  and  she  remained  alone  with  the 
major.  With  her  own  fair  hand  she  poured  fragrant  Syracusan 
wine  into  his  glass,  and  begged  him  to  drink  the  health  of  Napoleon 
the  Great. 

"  And  your  highness  will  not  do  me  the  honor  to  take  wine  with 
me?"  asked  the  major,  pointing  at  the  empty  glass  of  the  princess. 

She  smiled  and  shook  her  head.  "  I  never  drink  wine, "  she  said  ; 
"  wine  is  a  magician  who  suddenly  tears  the  mask  from  my  face  and 
compels  my  lips  to  speak  the  truth  which  they  would  otherwise, 
perhaps,  never  have  uttered.  But  I  will  make  an  exception  this 
time  ;  this  time  I  will  fill  my  glass,  for  I  must  drink  the  health  of 
the  great  emperor.  Pour  some  wine  into  it,  and  let  us  cry  :  '  Long 
live  Napoleon  the  Great !'" 

She  drank  some  of  the  fiery  southern  wine,  and  her  prediction 
was  fulfilled.  The  wine  took  the  mask  from  her  face,  and  loosened 
the  fetters  of  her  tongue. 

Her  eyes  beamed  now  with  the  fire  of  enthusiasm,  and  the  rap- 
turous praise  of  Napoleon  flowed  from  her  lips  like  a  torrent  of  the 
most  glowing  poetiy. 

She  was  wondrously  beautiful  in  her  enthusiastic  ardor,  with  the 
flaming  blush  on  her  cheeks,  with  her  flashing  eyes  and  quivering 
lips,  the  sweet  smile  of  which  showed  two  rows  of  pearly  teeth. 

"  Oh, "  exclaimed  the  major,  fascinated  by  her  loveliness,  "  why 
is  the  great  emperor  not  here — why  does  he  not  hear  your  enchant- 
ing words — why  is  he  not  permitted  to  admire  you  in  your  radiant 
beauty !" 

"  Why  am  I  not  allowed  to  hasten  to  him  in  order  to  sink  down 
at  his  feet  and  worship  him?"  exclaimed  Marianne,  fervently. 
"  Why  am  I  not  allowed  to  lie  for  a  blissful  hour  before  him  on  my 
knees  in  order  to  beg  with  scalding  tears  his  pardon  for  the  hatred 
which  formerly  filled  my  soul  against  him,  and  to  confess  to  him 
that  my  hatred  has  been  transformed  into  boundless  love  and  ecstatic 


422  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

adoration  ?  Where  shall  I  find  the  friend  who  will  pity  my  longing, 
and  open  for  me  the  path  leading  to  him?  Such  a  friend  I  should 
reward  with  a  gold-piece  for  every  minute  of  my  bliss,  for  every 
minute  I  should  be  allowed  to  remain  near  the  great  emperor. " 

"Do  you  speak  in  earnest,  your  highness?"  asked  Major  von 
Brandt,  gravely  and  almost  solemnly. 

"In  solemn  earnest!"  asseverated  Marianne.  "A  gold -piece  for 
every  minute  of  an  interview  with  the  Emperor  Napoleon. " 

"  Well,  then, "  said  the  major,  joyfully,  "  I  shall  procure  this  in- 
terview for  you,  your  highness,  and  your  beauty  and  fascinating 
loveliness  will  cause  the  emperor  not  to  count  the  minutes,  nor  the 
hours  either,  so  that  it  will  be  only  necessary  for  me  to  reduce  the 
hours  to  minutes. " 

"A  gold-piece  for  every  minute !"  repeated  Marianne,  whose  face 
was  radiant  with  joy  and  happiness.  "  Oh,  you  look  at  me  doubt- 
ingly,  you  believe  that  I  am  only  joking,  and  shall  not  keep  after- 
ward what  I  am  now  promising. " 

"Most  gracious  princess,  I  believe  that  enthusiasm  has  carried 
you  away  to  a  promise  the  acceptance  of  which  would  be  an  abuse 
of  your  generosity.  Suppose  the  emperor,  fascinated  by  your  wit, 
your  beauty,  your  charming  conversation,  should  remain  four  hours 
with  you,  that  would  be  a  very  handsome  number  of  gold-pieces  for 
me!" 

Instead  of  replying  to  him,  Marianne  took  the  silver  bell  and 
rang  it. 

"  Bring  me  pen,  ink,  and  paper,  a  burning  candle  and  sealing- 
wax,  "  she  said  to  the  footman  who  entered. 

In  a  few  minutes  every  thing  had  been  brought  to  her,  and  Mari- 
anne hastily  wrote  a  few  lines.  She  then  drew  the  seal-ring  from 
her  finger  and  affixed  her  seal  to  the  paper,  which  she  handed  to  the 
major. 

"Read  it  aloud,"  she  said. 

The  major  read : 

"  I  promise  to  Major  von  Brandt,  in  case  he  should  procure  me 
an  interview  with  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  to  pay  him  for  every 
minute  of  this  interview  a  louis-d'or  as  a  token  of  my  gratitude. 
"  MARIANNE,  PRINCESS  VON  EIBENBERG.  n 

"Are  you  content  and  convinced?"  asked  the  princess. 

"  I  am,  your  highness. " 

"And  you  will  and  can  procure  me  this  interview?" 

"  I  will  and  can  do  so. " 

"When  will  you  conduct  me  to  Schonbrunn?" 

The  major  reflected  some  time,  and  seemed  to  make  a  calculation. 

"I  hope  to  be  able  to  procure  for  your  highness  to-morrow  even- 


JUDITH.  423 

ing  an  interview  with  the  emperor, "  he  said.  "  I  am  quite  well 
acquainted  with  M.  de  Bausset,  intendant  of  the  palace,  and  I  be- 
sides know  Constant,  his  majesty's  valet  de  chambre.  These  are  the 
two  channels  through  which  the  wish  of  your  highness  will  easily 
reach  the  emperor,  and  as  his  majesty  is  a  great  admirer  of  female 
beauty,  he  will  assuredly  be  ready  to  grant  the  audience  applied 
for." 

"Will  you  bring  me  word  to-day?"  asked  Marianne. 

"Yes,  princess,  to-day.  I  will  immediately  repair  to  Schon- 
brunn.  The  emperor  arrived  there  yesterday. " 

"  Hasten,  then, "  said  Marianne,  rising  from  her  seat — "  hasten  to 
Schonbrunn,  and  remember  that  I  am  waiting  for  your  return  with 
trembling  impatience  and  suspense. " 

She  gave  her  hand  to  the  major. 

"  Good  Heaven,  your  highness !"  he  exclaimed,  in  terror,  "  your 
hand  is  as  cold  as  marble. " 

"  All  my  blood  is  here, "  she  said,  pointing  to  her  heart.  "  Hasten 
to  Schonbrunn. " 

He  imprinted  a  kiss  on  her  hand  and  left  the  room. 

Marianne  smiled  until  the  door  had  closed  behind  him.  Then 
her  features  underwent  a  sudden  change,  and  assumed  an  air  of 
horror  and  contempt. 

"Oh,  these  miserable  men,  these  venal  souls!"  she  muttered. 
"They  measure  every  thing  by  their  own  standard,  and  cannot  com- 
prehend the  longings  and  schemes  of  a  great  soul.  Accursed  be  all 
those  who  turn  traitors  to  their  country  and  adhere  to  its  enemies  ! 
May  the  wrath  of  God  and  the  contempt  of  their  fellow- creatures 
punish  them  I  But  I  will  use  the  traitors  as  tools  for  the  purpose  of 
accomplishing  the  sacred  task  which  the  misfortunes  of  Germany 
have  obliged  me  to  undertake.  I  will  put  my  house  in  order,  that  I 
may  be  ready  when  the  hour  has  come. " 

Madame  Camilla  was  right,  indeed ;  something  was  going  on, 
and  she  was  able  to  collect  important  news  for  the  French  governor. 

The  Princess  von  Eibenberg,  since  her  interview  with  the  major, 
had  been  a  prey  to  a  feverish  agitation  and  impatience  which  caused 
her  to  wander  restlessly  through  the  various  rooms  of  her  mansion. 
At  length,  toward  evening,  the  major  returned,  and  the  news  he 
had  brought  must  have  been  highly  welcome,  for  the  countenance  of 
the  princess  had  been  ever  since  radiant  with  joy,  and  a  wondrous 
smile  was  constantly  playing  on  her  lips. 

During  the  following  night  she  was  incessantly  engaged  in  writ- 
ing, and  Madame  Camilla  as  well  as  the  maid  were  waiting  in  vain 
for  their  mistress  to  call  them  ;  the  princess  did  not  leave  her  cabinet, 
and  did  not  go  to  bed  at  all.  Early  next  morning  she  took  a  ride  in 


424  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA 

her  carriage,  and  Madame  Camilla,  who  had  heretofore  invariably 
accompanied  the  princess  on  her  rides,  was  ordered  to  stay  at  home. 
When  Marianne  returned  after  several  hours,  she  was  pale  and  ex- 
hausted, and  her  eyes  showed  that  she  had  wept.  Then  officers  of 
the  city  courts  made  their  appearance,  and  asked  to  see  the  princess, 
stating  that  she  had  sent  for  them.  The  princess  locked  her  room 
while  conferring  with  them,  and  the  officers  withdrew  only  after 
several  hours.  At  the  dinner-table,  to  which,  by  her  express  orders, 
no  guests  had  been  admitted  to-day,  she  scarcely  touched  any  food, 
and  seemed  absorbed  in  deep  reflections. 

Soon  after  dinner  she  repaired  to  her  dressing-room,  and  never 
before  had'she  been  so  particular  and  careful  in  choosing  the  various 
articles  of  her  costume ;  never  before  had  she  watched  her  toilet 
with  so  much  attention  and  anxiety.  At  last  the  work  was  finished, 
and  the  princess  looked  radiantly  beautiful  in  her  crimson  velvet 
dress,  floating  behind  her  in  a  long  train,  and  fastened  under  her 
bosom,  only  half  veiled  by  a  clear  lace  collar,  by  means  of  a  wide, 
golden  sash.  Her  hair,  framing  her  expansive  brow  in  a  few  black 
ringlets  d  la  Josephine,  was  tied  up  in  a  Greek  knot,  adorned  with 
pearls  and  diamonds.  Similar  jewels  surrounded  her  queenly  neck 
and  the  splendidly-shaped  snow-white  arms.  Her  cheeks  were 
transparently  pale  to-day,  and  a  gloomy,  sinister  fire  was  burning 
in  her  large  black  eyes. 

She  looked  beautiful,  proud,  and  menacing,  like  Judith,  who 
has  adorned  herself  for  the  purpose  of  going  to  the  tent  of  Holof ernes. 
Madame  Camilla  could  not  help  thinking  of  it  when  she  now  saw 
the  princess  walk  across  the  room  in  her  proud  beauty,  and  with  her 
stern,  solemn  air.  Madame  Camilla  could  not  help  thinking  of  it 
when  she  saw  the  princess  draw  an  oblong,  flashing  object  from  a 
case  which  the  mistress  of  ceremonies  had  never  beheld  before,  and 
hastily  concealed  it  in  her  bosom. 

Was  it,  perhaps,  a  dagger,  and  was  the  princess  a  modern  Judith, 
going  to  kill  a  modern  Holof  ernes  in  her  voluptuous  arms  ? 

The  footman  now  announced  that  Major  von  Brandt  was  waiting 
for  the  princess  in  the  reception-room,  and  that  the  carriage  was  at 
the  door.  A  slight  shudder  shook  the  whole  frame  of  the  princess, 
and  her  cheeks  turned  even  paler  than  before.  She  ordered  the  foot- 
man to  withdraw,  and  then  made  a  sign  to  Madame  Camilla  to  give 
her  her  cloak  and  bonnet.  Camilla  obeyed  silently.  When  the 
princess  was  ready  to  depart,  she  turned  to  Camilla,  and,  drawing 
a  valuable  diamond  ring  from  her  finger,  she  handed  it  to  her. 

"Take  this  ring  as  a  souvenir  from  me,"  she  said.  "I  know 
you  are  a  good  and  enthusiastic  Austrian  ;  like  myself,  you  hate  the 
tyrant  who  wants  to  subjugate  us,  and  you  will  bless  the  hand 


NAPOLEON  AND  THE  PKUSSIAN  MINISTER.        425 

which  will  order  him  to  stop,  and  put  an  end  to  his  victorious 
career.  Farewell !" 

She  nodded  once  more  to  her  and  left  her  cabinet  to  go  to  the 
reception-room,  where  Major  von  Brandt  was  waiting  for  her. 

"  Come, "  she  said,  hastily,  "  it  is  high  time.  I  hope  you  have 
got  a  watch  with  you,  so  as  to  be  able  to  count  the  minutes. " 

"  Yes,  your  highness, "  said  Major  von  Brandt,  smiling,  "  I  have 
got  my  watch  with  me,  and  I  shall  have  the  honor  of  showing  it  to 
you  before  you  enter  the  imperial  cabinet. " 

Marianne  made  no  reply,  but  rapidly  crossed  the  room  to  go 
down-stairs  to  the  carriage  waiting  at  the  door.  Major  von  Brandt 
hastened  after  her  and  offered  his  arm  to  her. 

Madame  Camilla,  who  had  not  lost  a  single  word  of  her  short 
conversation  with  Major  von  Brandt,  followed  the  princess  down- 
stairs, and  remained  standing  humbly  at  the  foot  of  it  till  the  prin- 
cess and  her  companion  had  entered  the  carriage  and  the  coach  door 
had  been  closed. 

But  no  sooner  had  the  brilliant  carriage  of  the  princess  rolled  out 
of  the  court-yard  in  front  of  her  mansion,  than  Madame  Camilla 
hastened  into  the  street,  entered  a  hack,  and  ordered  the  coachman 
to  drive  her  to  the  residence  of  the  French  governor  as  fast  as  his 
horses  could  run. 


CHAPTER    LII. 

NAPOLEON  AND  THE  PRUSSIAN  MINISTER. 

NAPOLEON  had  left  Austerlitz,  and  had,  for  some  days,  again 
resided  at  Schonbrunn.  The  country  palace  of  the  great  empress 
Maria  Theresa  was  now  the  abode  of  him  who  had  driven  her  grand- 
son from  his  capital,  defeated  his  army,  and  was  just  about  to  dic- 
tate a  peace  to  him,  the  terms  of  which  would  be  equivalent  to  a 
fresh  defeat  of  Austria  and  a  fresh  victory  for  France. 

The  plenipotentiaries  of  Austria  and  France  were  already  assem- 
bled at  Presburg  to  conclude  this  treaty,  and  every  hour  couriers 
reached  Schonbrunn,  who  reported  to  the  emperor  the  progress  of 
the  negotiations  and  obtained  further  instructions  from  him. 

But  while  Austria  now,  after  the  disastrous  battle  of  the  3d  of 
December,  was  treating  with  Napoleon  about  the  best  terms  of 
peace,  the  Prussian  envoy,  Count  Haugwitz,  who  was  to  deliver  to 
Napoleon  the  menacing  declaration  of  Prussia,  was  still  on  the  road, 
or,  at  least,  had  not  been  able  to  lay  his  dispatch  before  the  emperor. 
Prussia  demanded,  in  this  dispatch,  which  had  been  approved  by 


426  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Russia,  that  Napoleon  should  give  up  Italy  and  Holland,  and  recog- 
nize the  independence  of  both  countries,  as  well  as  that  of  Germany. 
Prussia  gave  France  a  month's  time  to  take  this  proposition  into 
consideration  ;  and  if  it  should  be  declined,  then  Prussia  would  de- 
clare war  against  the  Emperor  Napoleon. 

This  month  had  expired  on  the  15th  of  December,  and,  as  pre- 
viously stated,  Count  Haugwitz  had  not  yet  succeeded  in  delivering 
his  dispatch  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon. 

It  is  true,  he  had  set  out  from  Berlin  on  the  6th  of  November ; 
but  the  noble  count  liked  to  travel  as  comfortably  as  possible,  and 
to  repose  often  from  the  hardships  of  the  journey.  He  had,  there- 
fore, travelled  every  day  but  a  few  miles,  and  stopped  several  days 
in  every  large  city  through  which  he  had  passed.  Vainly  had  Min- 
ister von  Hardenberg  and  the  Russian  and  Austrian  ministers  in 
Berlin  sent  courier  upon  courier  after  him,  in  order  to  induce  him 
to  accelerate  his  journey. 

Count  Haugwitz  declared  himself  unable  to  travel  any  faster,  be- 
cause he  was  afraid  of  stating  that  he  was  unwilling  to  do  so. 

Now,  he  was  unwitting  to  travel  any  faster,  because  the  message, 
of  which  he  was  the  bearer,  was  a  most  oppressive  burden  to  him, 
and  because  he  felt  convinced  that  the  energetic  genius,  by  some 
rapid  and  crushing  victory,  would  upset  all  treaties,  change  all 
standpoints,  and  thereby  render  it  unnecessary  for  him  to  deliver  to 
him  a  dispatch  of  so  harsh  and  hostile  a  description. 

Thanks  to  his  system  of  delay,  Count  Haugwitz  had  succeeded 
in  obtaining  a  first  interview  with  Napoleon  on  the  day  before  the 
battle  of  Austerlitz.  But  instead  of  presenting  the  ominous  note  to 
the  emperor,  he  had  contented  himself,  after  the  fashion  of  a  genu- 
ine courtier,  with  offering  incense  to  the  great  conqueror,  and 
Napoleon  had  prevented  him  from  transacting  any  business  by  put- 
ting off  all  negotiations  with  him  until  after  the  great  battle. 

After  the  battle  of  Austerlitz,  the  emperor  had  received  the  envoy 
of  the  King  of  Prussia  at  Schonbrunn,  and  granted  him  the  longed- 
for  audience.  Napoleon  greeted  him  in  an  angry  voice,  and  re- 
proached him  violently  for  having  affixed  his  name  to  the  treaty  of 
Potsdam.  But  Haugwitz  had  managed,  by  his  skilful  politeness, 
to  appease  the  emperor's  wrath,  and  to  regain  his  favor.  Smce  then 
Count  Haugwitz  had  been  at  Schonbrunn  every  day,  and  Napoleon 
had  always  received  him  with  especial  kindness  and  affability.  For 
the  emperor,  who  knew  very  well  that  Austria  was  still  hoping  for 
an  armed  intervention  by  Prussia,  wished  to  delay  his  decision,  as 
to  the  fate  of  Prussia  at  least,  until  he  had  made  peace  with  Austria. 
Only  when  he  had  trampled  Austria  under  foot,  he  would  think  of 
chastising  Prussia  for  her  recent  arrogance,  and  to  humiliate  her  as 


NAPOLEON  AND  THE  PRUSSIAN  MINISTER.        427 

he  had  hitherto  humiliated  all  his  enemies.  Hence  he  had  received 
Connt  Haugwitz  every  day,  and  succeeded  gradually  and  insensibly 
in  winning  him  for  his  plans.  To-day,  on  the  13th  of  December, 
Count  Haugwitz  had  repaired  to  Schonbrunn  to  negotiate  with  Na- 
poleon. He  wore  his  full  court- costume,  and  was  adorned  with  the 
grand  cordon  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  which  he  had  received  a  year 
ago,  and  which  the  Prussian  minister  seemed  to  wear  with  especial 
predilection. 

Napoleon  received  the  count  in  the  former  drawing-room  of 
Maria  Theresa,  which  had  now  become  Napoleon's  study.  On  a 
large  round  table  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  there  lay  maps,  dotted 
with  variously  colored  pins  ;  the  green  pins  designated  the  route  fixed 
by  Napoleon  for  the  retreat  of  the  Russian  army ;  the  dark-yellow 
pins  surrounded  the  extreme  boundaries  of  Austria,  and  according 
to  the  news  which  Napoleon  received  from  Presburg,  and  which 
informed  him  of  constantly  new  concessions  made  by  the  Austrian 
plenipotentiaries,  who  declared  their  willingness  to  cede  several 
provinces,  he  changed  the  position  of  these  pins,  which  embraced 
every  day  a  more  contracted  space  ;  while  the  blue  pins,  designating 
the  boundaries  of  Bavaria,  advanced  farther  and  farther,  and  the 
red  pins,  representing  the  armies  of  France,  seemed  to  multiply  on 
the  map. 

Napoleon,  however,  was  not  engaged  in  studying  his  maps  when 
Count  Haugwitz  entered  his  room,  but  he  was  seated  at  the  desk 
placed  close  to  the  table  with  the  maps,  and  seemed  to  write  assidu- 
ously. On  the  raised  back  part  of  this  desk  the  busts  of  Frederick 
the  Great  and  Maria  Theresa  had  been  placed.  Napoleon  some- 
times, when  he  ceased  writing,  raised  his  gloomy  eyes  to  them,  and 
then  it  seemed  as  though  these  three  heads,  the  two  marble  busts  and 
the  marble  head  of  Napoleon,  bent  threateningly  toward  each  other, 
as  though  the  flashes  bursting  from  Napoleon's  eyes  kindled  the  fire 
of  life  and  anger  in  the  marble  eyes  of  the  empress  and  the  great 
king ;  their  frowning  brows  seemed  to  ask  him  then,  by  virtue  of 
what  right  the  son  of  the  Corsican  lawyer  had  taken  a  seat  between 
their  two  crowned  heads,  and  driven  the  legitimate  Emperor  of 
Austria  from  the  house  of  his  fathers. 

When  Count  Haugwitz  entered,  Napoleon  cast  the  pen  impetu- 
ously aside  and  rose.  He  saluted  the  count,  who  bowed  to  him 
deeply  and  respectfully,  with  a  pleasant  nod. 

"You  are  there,"  said  the  emperor,  kindly,  "and  it  is  very  lucky. 
I  was  extremely  impatient  to  see  you. " 

"Lucky?"  asked  Count  Haugwitz,  with  the  inimitable  smile  of  a 
well-bred  courtier.  "Lucky,  sire?  It  seems  to  me  as  though  there 
were  neither  luck  nor  ill-luck  in  the  world,  nay ;  I  am  now  more 
MUHLBACH — S  VOL.  7 


428  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

than  ever  convinced  of  it.  Have  not  I  heard  men  say  more  than  a 
hundred  times,  'He  is  lucky  !  he  is  lucky  !'  Since  I  have  made  the 
acquaintance  of  the  great  man  who  owes  every  thing  to  himself,  I 
have  become  convinced  that  luck  should  not  be  taken  into  considera- 
tion, and  that  it  is  of  no  consequence. " 

Napoleon  smiled.  "  You  are  a  most  adroit  and  well-bred  cavalier 
and  courtier, "  he  said,  "  but  it  is  a  rule  of  wisdom  for  princes  not  to 
repose  any  confidence  in  the  words  of  courtiers  and  flatterers,  but 
always  to  translate  them  into  the  opposite  sense.  Therefore,  I 
translate  your  words,  too,  into  the  contrary,  and  then  they  signify, 
'It  seems,  unfortunately,  as  though  luck  had  deserted  us,  and  par- 
ticularly the  third  coalition,  forever,  but  still  sticks  to  the  colors  of 
France.'" 

"  Oh,  sire, "  exclaimed  Count  Haugwitz,  in  a  tone  of  grievous  re- 
proach, "  can  your  majesty  really  doubt  my  devotion  and  admira- 
tion? Was  I  not  the  first  man  to  congratulate  your  majesty,  the 
indomitable  chieftain,  on  the  fresh  laurels  with  which  you  had 
wreathed  your  heroic  brow,  even  in  the  cold  days  of  winter?" 

"  It  is  true, "  said  Napoleon,  "  you  did  so,  but  your  compliment 
was  intended  for  others;  fate,  however,  had  changed  its  address.* 
Of  your  sincerity  I  have  hitherto  had  no  proofs  whatever,  but  a  great 
many  of  your  duplicity ;  for,  at  all  events,  you  have  affixed  your 
name  to  the  treaty  of  Potsdam  ?" 

"I  have  done  so,  and  boast  of  it,"  said  Count  Haugwitz,  quickly. 
"  A  glance  into  the  heart  of  Napoleon  satisfied  me  that  he  who  stands 
at  the  head  of  human  greatness  knew  no  higher  aim  than  to  give 
peace  to  mankind,  and  thus  complete  the  great  work  which  Provi- 
dence has  intrusted  to  him. " 

"Words,  words!"  said  Napoleon.  "Let  me  see  actions  at  last. 
The  instructions  that  were  given  to  you  before  leaving  Berlin  have 
been  annulled  by  the  recent  events  in  Moravia  ;  we  are  agreed  about 
this  point.  Now,  you  are  a  member  of  the  Prussian  cabinet.  By 
sending  you  to  me,  the  king  has  intrusted  to  you  alone  the  welfare 
of  his  monarchy.  We  shall  see,  therefore,  whether  you  will  know 
how  to  profit  by  a  rare,  perhaps  never-recurring  opportunity,  and  to 
crown  the  work  which  Frederick  II. ,  notwithstanding  his  victories, 
left  unfinished.  Come  hither  and  see. " 

He  stepped  rapidly  to  the  table  with  the  maps,  and  in  obedience 
to  a  wave  of  his  hand,  Count  Haugwitz  glided,  with  his  imperturb- 
able smile,  to  his  side. 

"  See  here, "  exclaimed  Napoleon,  pointing  at  the  map ;  "  this  is 
Silesia,  your  native  country.  The  king  does  not  rule  over  the  whole 

*  The  whole  conversation  is  strictly  in  accordance  with  history.— Vide  "  Menioires 
inedits  du  Comte  de  Haugwitz,"  1837. 


NAPOLEON  AND  THE  PRUSSIAN  MINISTER.        429 

of  it,  the  Emperor  of  Austria  still  retaining  a  portion  of  it ;  but  that 
splendid  province  ought  to  belong  exclusively  to  Prussia.  We  will 
see  and  consider  how  far  your  southern  frontier  ought  to  be  extended. 
Just  follow  my  finger  on  the  map ;  it  will  designate  to  you  the  new 
boundaries  of  Prussian  Silesia. "  * 

And  Napoleon's  forefinger  passed,  flashing  like  a  dagger-point, 
across  the  map,  and  encircled  the  whole  Austrian  portion  of  Silesia, 
from  Teschen  to  the  Saxon  frontier,  and  from  the  mountains  of 
Yablunka  to  the  point  where  the  Riesengebirge  disappears  in 
Lusatia.  f 

"Well,"  he  then  asked,  hastily,  "would  not  such  an  arrangement 
round  off  your  Silesian  province  in  the  most  desirable  manner?" 

Count  Haugwitz  did  not  reply  immediately,  but  continued  gazing 
at  the  map.  Napoleon's  eagle  glance  rested  on  him  for  a  moment, 
and  then  passed  on  to  the  busts  of  Maria  Theresa  and  Frederick  the 
Great. 

"  Oh, "  he  exclaimed,  with  a  triumphant  smile,  pointing  to  the 
bust  of  Frederick,  "  that  great  man  would  have  accepted  my  proposi- 
tion without  any  hesitation  whatever. " 

"Sire,"  said  Count  Haugwitz,  hesitatingly,  "but  that  great 
woman,  Maria  Theresa,  would  not  have  permitted  it  so  easily." 

"  But  now, "  exclaimed  Napoleon,  "  now  there  is  no  Maria  Theresa 
to  hinder  the  King  of  Prussia ;  now  /  am  here,  and  I  grant  the 
whole  of  Silesia  to  your  king  if  he  will  conclude  a  close  alliance 
with  me.  Consider  well ;  can  you  be  insensible  of  the  glory  which 
awaits  you?" 

And  his  eyes  again  pierced  the  embarrassed  face  of  the  count  like 
two  dagger-points. 

"Sire,"  said  Haugwitz,  in  a  low  voice,  "your  proposition  is 
tempting,  it  is  admirable ;  but  as  far  as  I  know  his  majesty  the 
king,  I  must — "  • 

"  Oh, "  said  Napoleon,  impatiently,  "  do  not  allude  to  the  king  and 
his  person.  We  have  nothing  to  do  with  that.  You  are  minister, 
and  it  behooves  you  to  fulfil  the  duties  which  your  position  demands 
from  you,  and  to  embrace  the  opportunity  which  will  never  return. 
One  must  be  powerful,  one  can  never  be  sufficiently  so,  believe  me, 
and  consider  well  before  replying  to  me. " 

"  But,  perhaps,  sire,  it  would  be  better  for  us  to  seek  for  aggran* 
dizement  on  another  side, "  said  Haugwitz. 

"On  the  side  of  Poland  or  France,  I  suppose?"  asked  Napoleon, 
harshly.  "  You  would  like  to  deprive  me  again  of  Mentz,  Cleves, 
and  the  left  bank  of  the  Rhine,  and  you  flirt  with  Russia  and  Aus- 

*  Napoleon's  own  words. — "  M6moires  in6dits,"  p.  17. 
t  Ibid.,  p.  18. 


430  LOUISA  OF   PRUSSIA. 

tria  because  you  hope  they  might  assist  you  one  day,  after  all,  in 
obtaining  those  territories?  But,  on  the  other  hand,  you  would  not 
like  to  quarrel  with  me,  because  there  is  a  possibility  that  your 
hopes  will  not  be  fulfilled,  and  because,  in  such  an  eventuality,  you 
would  fear  my  enmity.  You  Prussians  want  to  be  the  allies  of 
every  one ;  that  is  impossible,  and  you  must  decide  for  me  or  for 
the  others.  I  demand  sincerity,  or  shall  break  loose  from  you,  for 
I  prefer  open  enemies  to  false  friends.  Your  king  tolerates  in  Hano- 
ver a  corps  of  thirty  thousand  men,  which,  through  his  states,  keeps 
up  a  connection  with  the  great  Russian  army  ;  that  is  an  act  of  open 
hostility.  As  for  me,  I  attack  my  enemies  wherever  I  may  find 
them.  If  I  wished  to  do  so,  I  might  take  a  terrible  revenge  for  this 
dishonesty.  I  could  invade  Silesia,  cause  an  insurrection  in  Poland, 
and  deal  Prussia  blows  from  which  she  would  never  recover.  But 
I  prefer  forgetting  the  past,  and  pursuing  a  generous  course.  I  will, 
therefore,  forgive  Prussia's  rashness,  but  only  on  condition  that 
Prussia  should  unite  with  France  by  indissoluble  ties ;  and  as  a 
guaranty  of  this  alliance,  I  require  Prussia  to  take  possession  of 
Hanover. "  * 

"Sire,"  exclaimed  Haugwitz,  joyfully,  "this  was  the  desirable 
aggrandizement  which  I  took  the  liberty  of  hinting  at  before,  and 
I  believe  it  is  the  only  one  which  the  king's  conscience  would  allow 
him  to  accept. " 

"Very  well,  take  Hanover,  then,"  said  Napoleon,  "I  cede  my 
claims  on  it  to  Prussia  ;  but  in  return  Prussia  cedes  to  France  the 
principality  of  Neufchatel  and  the  fortress  of  Wesel,  and  to  Bavaria 
the  principality  of  Anspach. " 

"But,  sire,"  exclaimed  Haugwitz,  anxiously,  "Anspach  belongs 
to  Prussia  by  virtue  of  family  treaties  which  cannot  be  contested  ; 
and  Neufchatel — " 

"  No  objections, "  interrupted  Napoleon,  sternly ;  "  my  terms  must 
be  complied  with.  Either  war  or  peace.  War,  that  is  to  say,  I 
crush  Prussia,  and  become  her  inexorable  enemy  forever ;  peace, 
that  is  to  say,  I  give  you  Hanover  and  receive  for  it  Neufchatel, 
Wesel,  and  Anspach.  Now,  make  up  your  mind  quickly ;  I  am 
tired  of  the  eternal  d  lays  and  procrastinations,  I  want  you  to  come  at 
length  to  a  decision,  anc.  you  will  not  leave  this  room  until  I  have 
received  a  categorical  reply.  You  have  had  time  enough  to  take 
every  thing  :n*o  consideration ;  hence  you  must  not  equivocate 
any  more.  Tell  me,  therefore,  quickly  and  categorically,  what  do 
you  want,  war  or  peace?" 

"  Sire, "  said  Haugwitz,  imploringly,  "  what  else  can  Prussia  want 
than  peace  with  France. " 

*  Napoleon's^own  words. — "M6moires  infidits,"  p.  20. 


NAPOLEON  AND  THE  PRUSSIAN  MINISTER.        431 

"Indeed,  it  is  an  excellent  bargain  you  make  on  this  occasion," 
exclaimed  Napoleon.  "  Neufchatel  is  for  Prussia  a  doomed  position, 
to  which,  moreover,  she  has  got  but  extremely  doubtful  rights.  In 
return  for  it,  for  Wesel  and  Anspach,  with  their  four  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants,  you  receive  Hanover,  which  is  contiguous  to 
Prussia,  and  contains  more  than  a  million  inhabitants !  I  believe 
Prussia  ought  to  be  content  with  such  an  aggrandizement. " 

"  Sire, "  said  Haugwitz,  "  she  would  be  especially  content  if  she 
should  obtain  the  faithful  and  influential  friendship  of  France,  and 
be  able  to  retain  it  forever. " 

"You  may  rely  on  my  word, "  replied  the  emperor,  " I  am  always 
faithful  to  my  enemies  as  well  as  to  my  friends.  I  crush  the  former 
and  promote  the  interests  of  the  latter  whenever  an  opportunity 
offers.  We  will,  however,  prove  to  each  other  that  we  are  in  earnest 
about  this  alliance,  and  draw  up  its  stipulations  even  to  -day.  Grand- 
marshal  Duroc  has  already  received  my  instructions  concerning  this 
matter,  and  he  will  lay  before  you  the  particulars  of  the  offensive 
and  defensive  alliance  to  be  concluded  between  France  and  Prussia. 
Be  kind  enough  to  go  to  him  and  settle  every  thing  with  him,  so 
that  we  may  sign  the  document  as  soon  as  possible.  Go,  my  dear 
count ;  but  first  accept  my  congratulations,  for  at  this  hour  you  have 
done  an  important  service  to  Prussia  :  you  have  saved  her  from  de- 
struction. I  should  have  crushed  her  like  a  toy  in  my  hand  if  you 
had  rejected  my  offers  of  friendship.  Go,  the  grand-marshal  is 
waiting  for  you. "  * 

He  nodded  a  parting  greeting  to  the  confused,  almost  stunned 
count,  and  returned  to  his  maps,  thus  depriving  the  Prussian  min- 
ister of  the  possibility  of  entering  into  further  explanations.  The 
latter  heaved  a  profound  sigh,  and,  walking  backward,  turned 
slowly  to  the  door. 

Napoleon  took  no  further  notice  of  him  ;  he  seemed  wholly  ab- 
sorbed in  his  maps  and  plans  ;  only  when  the  door  closed  slowly  be- 
hind the  count,  he  said,  in  a  low  voice:  "He  will  sign  the  treaty, 
and  then  Austria's  last  hope  is  gone  !  Now  I  shall  assume  a  more 

*  The  offensive  and  defensive  alliance  between  the  Emperor  of  France  and  the 
King  of  Prvissia  was  concluded  agreeably  to  the  demands  of  Napoleon.  Count 
Haugwitz,  without  obtaining  further  instructions  from  his  sovereign,  signed  it  on 
the  15th  of  December.  The  same  day,  in  accordance  with  the  treaty  of  Potsdam,  he 
was  to  have  delivered  to  Napoleon  Prussia's  declaration  of  war.  Owing  to  the  con- 
clusion of  this  alliance,  the  position  of  Austria  became  utterly  untenable,  and  she 
•was  obliged  to  accept  the  humiliating  terms  of  Napoleon,  and  to  sign,  on  the  26th  of 
December,  1805,  the  peace  of  Presburg.  This  treaty  deprived  Austria  of  her  best  pro- 
vinces, which  were  annexed  to  France,  Bavaria,  Wurtemberg  and  Baden.  It  is  true, 
Prussia  obtained  the  kingdom-of  Hanover  by  virtue  of  the  treaty  with  France,  but 
this  was  an  illusory  aggrandizement  which  Prussia  would  have  to  conquer,  sword 
in  hand,  from  England. 


432  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

decided  attitude  in  Presburg,  and  Austria  will  accept  all  my  condi- 
tions ;  she  will  be  obliged  to  cede  to  me  the  Netherlands,  Venice, 
and  Tuscany,  for  now  she  cannot  count  any  longer  on  Prussia's 
armed  intervention. " 


CHAPTER    LIII. 

JUDITH  AND  HOLOFERNES. 

NAPOLEON  was  still  engaged  in  studying  his  maps  and  in  chang- 
ing the  positions  of  the  pins  on  it.  From  time  to  time  he  was  inter- 
rupted in  this  occupation  by  couriers  bringing  fresh  dispatches  from 
Presburg  or  France,  but  he  constantly  returned  to  his  maps,  and  his 
finger  passing  over  them  extinguished  kingdoms  and  boundaries  to 
create  new  states  in  their  places. 

Evening  was  already  drawing  near,  and  the  emperor  was  still  in 
his  cabinet.  The  door  had  already  been  opened  repeatedly  in  a  cau- 
tious manner,  and  Constant,  the  valet  de  chambre,  had  looked  in 
with  prying  eyes,  but  seeing  the  emperor  so  busily  engaged,  he  had 
always  withdrawn  cautiously  and  inaudibly.  At  length,  however, 
he  seemed  tired  of  waiting  any  longer,  and  instead  of  withdrawing, 
again  he  entered  and  closed  the  door  noiselessly. 

The  noise  caused  the  emperor  to  start  up. 

"Well,  Constant,  what  is  the  matter?"  he  asked. 

"Sire,"  whispered  Constant,  in  a  low  voice,  as  though  he  were 
afraid  the  walls  might  hear  him,  "  sire,  that  distinguished  lady  has 
been  here  for  an  hour ;  she  is  waiting  for  the  audience  your  majesty 
has  granted  to  her. " 

"  Ah,  the  countess  or  princess, "  said  Napoleon,  carelessly,  "  the 
foolish  person  who  asserts  that  she  hated  me  formerly  but  loves  me 
now?" 

"  Sire,  she  speaks  of  your  majesty  in  terms  of  the  most  unbounded 
enthusiasm !" 

"  Ah,  bah  !  Women  like  to  be  enthusiastic  admirers  of  somebody, 
and  to  worship  him  with  the  gushing  transports  of  their  tender 
hearts !  Would  so  many  women  go  into  convents  and  call  Christ 
their  bridegroom,  if  it  were  not  so?  But  what  is  the  name  of  this 
lady  who  has  been  pleased  to  fall  in  love  with  me?" 

"  Sire,  I  believe,  the  only  condition  she  stipulated  was  that  your 
majesty  should  not  ask  for  her  name. " 

The  emperor  frowned.  "  And  you  would  persuade  me  to  receive 
this  nameless  woman?  Who  knows  but  she  may  be  a  mere  intriguer 
anxious  to  penetrate  to  me  for  some  dark  purpose?" 


JUDITH  AND  HOLOFERNES.  433 

"  Sire,  one  of  the  most  faithful  adherents  and  admirers  of  your 
majesty,  M.  von  Brandt,  formerly  major  in  the  Austrian  service, 
pledges  his  word  of  honor  that  she  is  not,  and — " 

At  this  moment  the  door  was  opened  violently,  and  Grand- 
marshal  Duroc  entered. 

"Ah,  your  majesty  is  here  still !"  he  exclaimed,  joyfully.  "Your 
majesty  has  not  yet  received  the  lady?" 

"Well,  does  that  concern  you?"  asked  Napoleon,  smiling.  "You 
are  jealous,  perhaps?  This  lady  is  said  to  be  very  beautiful. " 

"Sire,  "said  Duroc,  solemnly,  "even  though  she  were  as  beauti- 
ful as  Cleopatra,  your  majesty  ought  not  to  receive  her. " 

"I  might  not?"  asked  Napoleon,  sternly.  "What  should  prevent 
me  from  doing  so?" 

"Sire,  the  sacred  duty  to  preserve  yourself  to  your  people,  to 
your  empire.  This  lady  who  tries  to  penetrate  with  so  much  pas- 
sionate violence  to  your  majesty  is  a  dangerous  intriguer,  a  mortal 
enemy  of  France  and  your  majesty. " 

Napoleon  cast  a  triumphant  glance  on  Constant,  who,  pale  and 
trembling,  was  leaning  against  the  wall. 

"Well,"  he  asked,  "will  you  defend  her  still?" 

Without  waiting  for  Constant's  reply,  he  turned  again  to  the 
grand-marshal. 

"Whence  did  you  obtain  this  information?" 

"Sire,  the  governor  of  Vienna,  M.  de  Vincennes,  has  just  arrived 
here  in  the  utmost  haste.  His  horse  fell  half  dead  to  the  ground 
when  he  entered  the  court-yard.  He  feared  that  he  might  be  too 
late. " 

"How  too  late?" 

"  Too  late  to  warn  your  majesty  from  this  lady,  who  has  evidently 
come  to  carry  out  some  criminal  enterprise. " 

"Ah,  bah!  she  was,  perhaps,  going  fco  assassinate  me?" 

"Sire,  that  is  what  M.  de  Vincenaes  asserts." 

"Ah  !"  exclaimed  Napoleon,  turning  once  more  toward  Constant, 
"did  you  not  tell  me  that  she  was  deeply  enamoured  of  me?  Is  the 
governor  here  still?" 

"  Yes,  sire  ;  he  wants  to  know  whether  he  shall  not  immediately 
arrest  the  lady  and  closely  question  her. " 

Napoleon  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  seemed  to  reflect. 

"  Constant, "  he  then  said,  "  tell  M.  de  Vincennes  to  come  hither. 
I  myself  want  to  speak  to  him. " 

Constant  went  at  once  into  the  anteroom  and  returned  in  a 
minute,  to  introduce  the  governor  of  Vienna,  M.  de  Vincennes. 

Napoleon  hastily  went  to  meet  him.  "  You  have  come  to  warn 
me, "  he  said,  sternly.  "  What  are  your  reasons  for  doing  so?" 


434  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

"Sire,  the  intentions  of  this  lady  are  extremely  suspicious. 
Since  I  have  been  in  Vienna  she  has  been  incessantly  watched  by 
my  agents,  because  she  is  the  intellectual  head  of  all  the  dangerous 
and  hostile  elements  of  the  city.  All  the  enemies  of  your  majesty, 
all  the  so-called  German  patriots,  meet  at  her  house,  and  by  closely 
watching  her,  we  could  learn  all  our  enemies'  plans  and  actions. 
Hence,  it  was  necessary  for  us  to  find  an  agent  in  her  house  who 
would  report  to  me  every  day  what  had  been  going  on  there,  and  I 
was  so  fortunate  as  to  enlist  the  services  of  her  mistress  of  cere- 
monies. " 

"By  what  means  did  you  bribe  her?"  asked  Napoleon.  "By 
means  of  love  or  money  ?" 

"  Sire,  thank  God,  money  alone  was  sufficient  for  the  purpose. " 

The  emperor  smiled.     "The  woman  is  old  and  ugly,  then?" 

"Very  ugly,  sire." 

"And  she  hates  her  mistress  because  she  is  beautiful.  For,  I 
suppose,  she  is  very  beautiful?" 

"  Extremely  so,  sire ;  a  most  fascinating  woman,  and  conse- 
quently the  more  dangerous  as  an  intriguer. " 

Napoleon  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Proceed  with  your  report. 
You  had  bribed  her  mistress  of  ceremonies,  then?" 

"Yes,  sire;  she  kept  an  accurate  diary,  containing  a  statement 
of  what  her  mistress  had  been  doing  every  hour,  and  brought  it  to 
me  every  evening.  For  the  last  few  days  the  conduct  of  her  mistress 
has  seemed  to  her  particularly  suspicious ;  hence  she  watched  her 
more  closely,  and  my  other  agents  dogged  her  steps  in  disguise 
whenever  she  left  her  mansion.  All  symptoms  appeared  suspicious 
enough,  and  pointed  to  the  conclusion  that  she  was  meditating  an 
attack  upon  some  distinguished  person.  But  I  did  not  guess  as  yet 
whom  she  was  aiming  at.  All  at  once,  two  hours  ago,  her  mistress 
of  ceremonies  came  to  bring  me  her  diary,  and  to  report  to  me  that 
her  mistress  had  just  left  her  mansion  with  Major  von  Brandt,  and 
that  her  last  words  had  indicated  that  she  had  gone  to  see  your 
majesty  at  Schonbrunn.  While  I  was  still  considering  what  ought 
to  be  done,  another  agent  of  mine  made  his  appearance ;  I  had  com- 
missioned him  specially  to  watch  M.  von  Brandt ;  for,  although  he 
seems  to  be  extremely  devoted  to  us,  I  do  not  trust  him. " 

"And  you  are  perfectly  right,"  said  Napoleon,  sternly.  "Trai- 
tors ought  never  to  be  trusted,  and  this  M.  von  Brandt  is  a  traitor, 
inasmuch  as  he  adheres  to  us,  the  enemies  of  his  country.  What 
was  the  information  brought  to  you  by  your  agent?" 

"Sire,  my  agent  caused  one  of  his  men,  who  is  a  very  skilful 
pickpocket,  to  steal  the  major's  memorandum-book  just  at  the  mo- 
ment when  he  was  entering  the  lady's  house." 


JUDITH  AND  HOLOFERNES.  435 

"  Indeed, "  said  Napoleon,  laughing.  "  Your  agents  are  clever  fel- 
lows. What  did  you  find  in  the  memorandum -book?  Love  letters 
and  unpaid  bills,  I  suppose?" 

"  No,  sire,  I  found  in  it  an  important  document ;  an  agreement, 
by  virtue  of  which  the  lady  is  to  pay  the  major,  in  case  he  should 
obtain  for  her  an  interview  with  your  majesty,  a  gold-piece  for 
every  minute  of  its  duration. " 

Napoleon  laughed.  "The  lady  is  as  rich  as  Croesus,  then?"  he 
asked. 

"  Yes,  sire,  the  princess  is  said  to — " 

"Princess !    What  princess?" 

"  Sire,  the  lady  to  whom  your  majesty  has  granted  an  audience  is 
the  Princess  von  Eibenberg. " 

"The  Princess  von  Eibenberg,"  replied  Napoleon,  musingly. 
"Did  I  not  hear  that  name  on  some  former  occasion?  Yes,  yes,  I 
remember, "  he  said,  in  a  low  voice,  after  a  short  pause,  as  if  speak- 
ing to  himself ;  "  the  agent  of  the  Count  de  Provence,  who  delivered 
to  me  the  letter,  and  whom  I  then  expelled  from  Paris. " 

"Have  you  got  the  diary  of  the  mistress  of  ceremonies  and  the 
other  papers  with  you  ?"  he  then  asked  the  governor. 

"  I  have,  sire,  here  they  are, "  replied  M.  de  Vincennes,  drawing 
a  few  papers  from  his  bosom.  "  Here  is  also  the  singular  agreement 
of  the  princess. " 

"  Give  them  to  me, "  said  Napoleon ;  and  taking  the  papers,  he 
looked  over  them  and  read  a  few  lines  here  and  there.  "  Indeed, " 
he  then  said,  "  this  affair  is  piquant  enough  ;  it  begins  to  excite  my 
curiosity.  Constant,  where  is  the  lady?" 

"Sire,  M.  de  Bausset  has  taken  her  to  the  small  reception-room  of 
your  majesty  ;  she  is  waiting  there. " 

"  Well, "  said  Napoleon,  "  she  has  waited  long  enough,  and  might 
become  impatient;  I  will,  therefore,  go  to  her. " 

"But,  sire,  you  will  not  see  her  alone,  I  hope?"  asked  Duroc, 
anxiously.  "I  trust  your  majesty  will  permit  me  to  accompany 
you?" 

"Ah,  you  are  anxious  to  see  the  famous  belle?"  asked  Napoleon, 
laughing.  "Another  time,  M.  grand -marshal— but  this  time  I  shall 
go  alone.  Just  remember  that  the  princess  is  passionately  enamoured 
of  me,  and  that  it,  therefore,  would  terribly  offend  her  if  I  should 
not  come  alone  to  the  interview  with  her. " 

He  advanced  a  few  steps  toward  the  door.  But  now  Constant 
rushed  toward  him,  and  kneeling  before  him,  exclaimed,  in  a  voice 
trembling  with  anguish :  "  Sire,  your  majesty  must  have  pity  on 
me.  Do  not  expose  your  priceless  life  to  such  a  danger !  Do  not 
plunge  my  poor  heart  which  adores  your  majesty  into  everlasting 


436  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

despair !  It  was  I  who  first  dared  to  request  your  majesty  to  receive 
this  lady  !  Now,  sire,  I  implore  your  majesty  on  my  knees — do  not 
receive  her !" 

"  Sire,  I  venture  to  unite  my  prayers  with  those  of  Constant, " 
said  Duroc,  urgently.  "Sire,  do  not  receive  this  lady  !" 

"Your  majesty,  permit  me  rather  to  arrest  her  immediately," 
exclaimed  M.  de  Vincennes. 

Napoleon's  flaming  eyes  glanced  in  succession  smilingly  at  the 
three  men.  "Truly,"  he  said,  "on  hearing  you,  one  might  almost 
believe  this  beautiful  woman  to  be  a  mine,  and  that  it  was  merely 
necessary  to  touch  her  in  order  to  explode  and  be  shattered  !  Re- 
assure yourselves,  I  believe  we  will  save  our  life  this  time.  You 
have  warned  me,  and  I  shall  be  on  my  guard.  Not  another  word, 
no  more  prayers  !  My  resolution  is  fixed  ;  I  will  see  this  beautiful 
woman,  and,  moreover,  alone !" 

"Sire,"  exclaimed  Constant,  anxiously,  "suppose  this  crazy 
woman  should  fire  a  pistol  at  your  head  at  the  moment  when  your 
majesty  appears  before  her?" 

"In  that  case  the  bullets  would  harmlessly  glance  off  from  me, 
or  the  pistol  would  miss  fire, "  replied  Napoleon,  in  a  tone  of  firm 
conviction.  "  Fate  did  not  place  me  here  to  fall  by  the  hands  of  an 
assassin !  Go,  gentlemen,  and  accept  my  thanks  for  your  zeal  and 
sympathy.  M.  de  Vincennes,  return  to  Vienna ;  I  shall  keep  your 
papers  here.  Is  Count  Haugwitz  still  at  your  rooms,  Duroc?" 

"  Yes,  sire,  we  were  just  engaged  in  drawing  up  the  several  sec- 
tions of  the  treaty,  when  M.  de  Vincennes  sent  for  me. " 

"Return  to  the  count,  and  you,  Constant,  go  to  M.  von  Brandt 
and  count  with  him  the  minutes  which  his  lady  will  pass  in  my  com- 
pany. I  should  not  be  surprised  if  he  should  earn  a  great  many  gold- 
pieces,  for  I  do  not  intend  dismissing  the  interesting  belle  so  soon. " 

He  nodded  to  them,  and  hastily  crossing  the  room,  passed  through 
the  door  which  Constant  opened.  With  rapid  steps,  and  without 
any  further  hesitation,  he  walked  across  the  two  large  reception, 
halls,  and  then  opened  the  door  of  the  small  reception- room  where 
the  lady,  as  Constant  had  told  him,  was  waiting  for  him. 

He  remained  for  a  moment  on  the  threshold,  and  his  burning 
glances  turned  toward  Marianne,  who,  as  soon  as  she  saw  him  com- 
ing in,  had  risen  from  the  arm-chair  in  which  she  had  been  sitting. 

"  It  is  true, "  murmured  Napoleon  to  himself,  "  she  is  really  beau- 
tiful !" 

He  advanced  a  few  steps  ;  then,  as  if  remembering  only  at  this 
moment  that  he  had  left  the  door  wide  open,  he  turned  around  and 
closed  it.  "I  suppose  you  want  to  speak  to  me  without  witnesses?" 
he  asked,  approaching  Marianne. 


JUDITH  AND  HOLOFERNES.  437 

"  Sire,  the  words  of  love  and  adoration  fail  too  often  in  the  pres- 
ence of  others, "  whispered  Marianne,  casting  a  flaming  glance  on 
him. 

Napoleon  smiled.  "Well,  why  did  you  hesitate,  then,  just  now 
to  write  the  words  of  love  and  adoration  between  my  shoulders?" 
ne  asked.  "  I  turned  my  back  to  you  intentionally ;  I  wished  to 
give  you  an  opportunity  for  carrying  out  your  heroic  deed. " 

"What?"  exclaimed  Marianne,  in  terror,  " has  your  majesty  any 
doubts  of  my  intentions?" 

"  No, "  said  Napoleon,  laughing,  "  I  have  no  doubts  whatever  of 
your  intentions  ;  on  the  contrary,  I  am  quite  sure  of  them.  I  know 
that  you  have  come  hither  to  translate  the  Bible,  the  truth  of  which 
has  been  questioned  so  often,  into  reality.  You  intended  to  make 
of  the  chapter  of  Judith  and  Holofernes  a  tragedy  of  our  times.  But 
although  you  are  as  beautiful  and  seductive  as  Judith,  I  am  no 
Holofernes,  who  allows  himself  to  be  ruled  by  his  passion,  and  for- 
gets the  dictates  of  prudence  in  the  arms  of  a  woman.  I  never  was 
the  slave  of  my  passions,  madame,  and  it  is  not  sufficient  for  a 
woman  to  be  beautiful  in  order  to  win  my  heart ;  I  must  be  able, 
too,  to  esteem  her,  arfd  never  should  I  be  able  to  esteem  a  woman 
capable  of  loving  the  conqueror  of  her  country.  You  see,  therefore, 
that  I  am  no  Holofernes,  and  that  I  should  not  have  opened  my  arms 
to  you  if  I  should  have  believed  you  to  be  a  recreant  daughter  of 
your  country.  But  I  know  that  you  are  a  patriot,  and  that  alters 
the  case  :  I  know  that  I  may  esteem  you  ;  hence,  I  do  not  say  that  I 
cannot  love  you,  for  it  is  true,  you  are  enchantingly  beautiful. " 

"  Sire, "  said  Marianne,  indignantly,  "  if  you  have  only  received 
me  to  insult  and  mortify  me,  pray  permit  me  to  withdraw  !" 

"  No,  I  have  received  you  because  I  wanted  to  give  you  good  ad- 
vice, "  said  Napoleon,  gravely ;  "  I,  therefore,  pray  you  to  remain. 
You  must  choose  your  servants  more  cautiously,  madame  ;  you  must 
confide  in  them  less  and  watch  them  better ;  for  slavish  souls  are 
easily  led  astray,  and  money  is  a  magnet  they  are  unable  to  with- 
stand. Your  mistress  of  ceremonies  is  a  traitress  ;  beware  of  her  !" 

"Then  she  has  slandered  me?"  asked  Marianne,  with  quivering 
lips. 

"  No,  she  has  only  betrayed  you, "  said  Napoleon,  smiling.  "  Even 
the  diamond  ring  which  you  gave  her  as  a  souvenir  did  not  touch 
her  heart.  Do  you  yet  remember  what  you  said  to  her  when  you 
handed  it  to  her?" 

"Sire,  how  should  I  remember  it?"  asked  Marianne. 

"  Well,  I  will  repeat  it  to  you, "  exclaimed  Napoleon,  unfolding 
the  papers  which  M.  de  Vincennes  had  given  to  him,  and  which  he 
had  kept  all  the  time  rolled  up  in  his  hand.  "Here  it  is.  You 


438  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA, 

said  :  'I  know  you  are  a  good  and  enthusiastic  Austrian  ;  like  my- 
self, you  hate  the  tyrant  who  wants  to  subjugate  us,  and  you  will 
bless  the  hand  which  will  order  him  to  stop,  and  put  an  end  to  his 
victorious  career. '  Well,  was  it  not  so,  madame?" 

Marianne  made  no  reply ;  her  cheeks  were  pale,  and  her  eyes 
stared  at  the  emperor,  who  looked  at  her  smilingly. 

"A  moment  before  you  had  concealed  a  flashing  object- in  your 
bosom, "  continued  Napoleon.  "  That  object  which  your  mistress  of 
ceremonies  did  not  see  distinctly  was  a  dagger  which  you  had 
bought  this  forenoon.  Shall  I  tell  you  where  ?" — He  glanced  again 
at  the  papers,  and  then  said :  "  You  bought  this  dagger  in  a  gun 
store  on  the  KohlmarM,  and  paid  four  ducats  for  it.  You  have  now 
got  this  dagger  with  you ;  truly,  it  occupies  an  enviable  hiding- 
place,  and  I  might  be  jealous  of  it.  Why  do  you  not  draw  it  forth 
and  carry  out  your  purpose?  Do  you  really  believe  what  so  many 
fools  have  said  about  me,  viz. ,  that  I  was  in  the  habit  of  wearing  a 
coat-of-mail?  I  pledge  you  my  imperial  word,  my  breast  is  unpro- 
tected, and  a  dagger  will  meet  with  no  resistance  provided  it  is 
able  to  reach  my  breast.  Just  try  it !" 

Marianne,  who,  while  the  emperor  was  speaking,  had  dropped 
on  a  chair  as  if  stupefied,  now  rose  impetuously.  "  Sire, "  she  said, 
proudly,  "  it  is  enough.  Your  officers  doubtless  await  me  in  the  ad- 
joining room,  in  order  to  arrest  me  like  a  criminal.  Permit  me  to 
go  thither  and  surrender  to  them. " 

She  was  about  turning  toward  the  door,  but  Napoleon  seized  her 
hand  and  kept  her  back.  "  Oh,  no, "  he  said,  "  our  interview  is  not 
yet  over  ;  it  has  scarcely  lasted  fifteen  minutes,  and  remember  that 
M.  von  Brandt  would  consequently  get  only  fifteen  gold-pieces.  Ah, 
you  look  at  me  in  surprise.  You  wonder  that  I  should  be  aware  of 
that,  too?  I  am  no  magician,  however,  and  have  acquired  my 
knowledge  of  this  laughable  incident  in  a  very  simple  manner. 
Look  here,  this  is  the  written  agreement  you  gave  to  M.  von 
Brandt !" 

He  offered  the  paper  to  Marianne  ;  she  did  not  take  it,  however, 
but  only  glanced  at  it.  "  Your  majesty  may  see  from  it  how  ardently 
I  longed  for  an  interview  with  you, "  she  said.  "  Had  M.  von  Brandt 
asked  half  my  fortune  for  this  interview  with  your  majesty,  I  should 
have  joyfully  given  it  to  him,  for  an  hour  in  the  presence  of  your 
majesty  is  worth  more  than  all  the  riches  of  the  world. " 

"And  yet  you  were  going  to  leave  me  just  now  !"  exclaimed  Na- 
poleon, reproachfully.  "How  ingenuous  that  would  have  been 
toward  your  friend  who  is  standing  in  the  anteroom  with  Constant, 
and,  watch  in  hand,  calculating  the  number  of  his  gold -pieces.  We 
will  be  generous  and  grant  him  three  hours.  Three  hours — that  is  a 


JUDITH  AND  HOLOFERNES.  439 

good  time  for  a  rendezvous ;  when  you  leave  me,  then,  you  will  pay 
M.  von  Brandt  one  hundred  and  eighty  louis-d'or,  and  I  shall  receive 
the  congratulations  of  my  confidants. " 

Marianne's  eyes  flashed  angrily,  and  a  deep  blush  mantled  her 
cheeks.  "  Sire, "  she  exclaimed  almost  menacingly,  "  call  your  offi- 
cers— have  me  arrested  like  a  criminal — take  my  life  if  I  have 
deserved  it,  but  let  me  leave  this  room !" 

"  Ah,  you  would  die  rather  than  that  people  should  believe  you 
had  granted  me  a  rendezvous  of  three  hours'  duration, "  asked  Napo- 
leon. "  It  is  true,  this  rendezvous,  if  it  should  result  peacefully  and 
without  the  eclat  which  you  hoped  for  when  you  came  hither  to  play 
the  part  of  Judith,  would  discredit  you  with  your  friends !  Your 
party  will  distrust  you  as  soon  as  it  learns  that,  after  being  three 
hours  with  me,  you  left  Schonbrunn  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
while  I  was  not  found  on  my  couch  with  a  dagger  in  my  heart.  I 
cannot  spare  you  this  humiliation  ;  it  shall  be  the  only  punishment 
I  shall  inflict  on  you.  You  remain  here !" 

"  Sire,  let  me  go, "  exclaimed  Marianne,  "  and  I  swear  to  you  that 
I  will  never  dare  again  to  approach  you  ;  I  swear  to  you  that  I  will 
live  in  some  remote  corner  in  the  most  profound  retirement,  far 
from  the  noise  and  turmoil  of  the  world." 

"  Oh,  the  world  would  never  forgive  me  if  I  should  deprive  it  in 
this  manner  of  its  most  beautiful  ornament,"  said  the  emperor, 
smiling.  "You  are  too  lovely  to  live  in  obscurity  and  solitude. 
You  will  now  grant  me  three  hours,  and  you  are  free  to  tell  every- 
body during  the  whole  remainder  of  your  life  that  you  hate  me; 
but  it  is  true,  people  will  hardly  believe  in  the  sincerity  of  your 
hatred." 

"Then  you  will  not  permit  me  to  withdraw?"  asked  Marianne, 
with  quivering  lips.  "You  want  me  to  stay  here?" 

"  Only  three  hours,  madame  ;  then  you  may  go.  Let  us  improve 
this  time  and  speak  frankly  and  honestly  to  each  other.  Forget 
where  we  are ;  imagine  we  were  the  heads  of  two  parties,  meeting 
on  neutral  ground  and  telling  each  other  the  truth  with  respectful 
frankness  for  the  purpose  of  thereby  bringing  about  peace,  if  possi- 
ble. Well,  then,  tell  me  honestly  :  do  you  really  hate  me  so  ardently 
as  to  have  come  hither  for  the  purpose  of  assassinating  me?" 

"You  ask  me  to  tell  you  the  truth,"  exclaimed  Marianne,  her 
eyes  sparkling  with  anger,  "  well,  you  shall  hear  it !  Yes,  I  hate 
you  ;  I  swore  to  you  in  Paris,  at  the  time  when  you  sent  me  like  a 
criminal  to  the  frontier,  the  most  ardent  and  implacable  hatred,  and 
in  accordance  with  my  oath  I  came  hither  to  accomplish  a  work 
which  would  be  a  boon  for  Germany,  nay,  for  the  whole  world. 
Yee,  I  wanted  to  assassinate  you,  I  wanted  to  deliver  the  world  from 


440  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

the  tyrant  who  intends  to  enslave  it.  Yes,  I  had  concealed  a  dagger 
in  my  bosom  to  kill  you  as  Judith  killed  Holofernes.  Had  I  accom- 
plished my  purpose,  the  world  would  have  blessed  me  and  paid  the 
highest  honors  to  my  name  ;  but  now  that  I  have  failed  in  carrying 
out  my  plan,  I  shall  be  laughed  and  sneered  at.  Now  I  have  told 
you  the  truth,  and  in  order  that  you  may  not  doubt  it,  I  will  show 
you  the  dagger  which  was  intended  for  your  breast,  and  which  I 
shall  now  hurl  down  at  your  feet  as  the  dragon's  feet,  from  which 
one  day  full-grown  warriors  will  spring  for  our  cause  in  order  to 
combat  you. " 

She  drew  the  dagger  from  her  bosom,  and,  with  a  violent  ges- 
ture, threw  it  at  Napoleon's  feet.  ''Sire,"  she  then  asked,  in  an 
imploring  voice,  "will  you  not  yet  order  me  to  be  arrested?" 

"  Why?"  asked  Napoleon.  "  Words  falling  from  the  lips  of  beau- 
tiful women  are  never  insulting,  and  I  do  not  punish  thoughts  which 
have  not  yet  become  actions.  Your  hands  are  free  from  guilt,  and  the 
only  criminal  here  in  this  room  is  that  dagger  on  the  floor.  I 
trample  it  under  foot,  and  it  is  unable  to  rise  any  more  against  me. " 

He  placed  his  foot  on  the  flashing  blade,  and  fixed  his  piercing 
eyes  on  the  princess.  "  Madame, "  he  said,  "  when  you  came  to  me  in 
Paris,  it  was  the  Count  de  Provence  who  had  sent  you.  He  sent  me 
a  letter  through  you  at  that  time.  Tell  me,  did  he  send  me  this 
dagger  to-day?" 

"  No,  I  will  take  the  most  solemn  oath  that  he  knows  nothing 
about  it, "  replied  Marianne.  "  Nobody  knew  of  my  undertaking  ; 
I  had  no  confidants  and  no  accomplices. " 

"  You  had  only  your  own  hatred,  madame, "  said  Napoleon,  mus- 
ingly. "  Why  do  you  hate  me  so  bitterly?  What  have  I  done  to  all 
of  you  that  you  should  turn  away  from  me  ?" 

"Why  I  hate  you?"  asked  Marianne,  impetuously.  "Because 
you  have  come  to  trample  Germany  in  the  dust,  to  transform  her 
into  a  French  province,  and  to  defraud  us  of  our  honor,  our  good 
rights,  and  independence.  What  have  you  done,  that  all  honest 
men  should  turn  away  from  you?  You  have  broken  your  most 
sacred  oaths — you  are  a  perjurer  1" 

"  Oh,  that  goes  too  far, "  cried  Napoleon,  passionately.  "  What 
hinders  me,  then — " 

"To  have  me  arrested?"  Marianne  interrupted  him,  defiantly — 
"  please  do  so. " 

"No,  I  shall  not  do  you  that  favor.  Proceed,  proceed!  You 
stand  before  me  as  though  you  were  Germania  herself  rising  before 
me  to  accuse  me.  Well,  then,  accuse  me.  When  have  I  broken  my 
oaths?" 

"  From  the  moment  when  you  raised  the  banner  in  the  name  of 


JUDITH  AND  HOLOFERNES.  441 

the  republic  which  you  intended  to  upset ;  from  the  moment  when 
you  called  the  nations  to  you  in  the  name  of  liberty,  in  order  to  rule 
over  them  as  their  tyrant  and  oppressor !" 

"  To  those  who  wanted  to  keep  up  the  despotism  of  liberty  under 
which  France  had  bled  and  groaned  so  long,  I  was  a  tyrant, "  said 
Napoleon,  calmly ;  "  to  those  who  entertained  the  senseless  idea  of 
restoring  the  Bourbons,  under  whom  France  had  bled  and  groaned 
as  long  and  longer,  I  was  an  oppressor.  The  family  of  the  Bourbons 
has  become  decrepit ;  it  resembles  a  squeezed  lemon,  the  peel  of 
which  is  thrown  contemptuously  aside,  because  there  is  no  longer 
any  juice  in  it.  Did  you  really  believe  I  should  have  been  such  a 
fool  as  to  pick  up  this  empty  peel,  which  France  had  thrown  aside, 
and  to  clothe  it  in  a  purple  cloak  and  crown  ?  Did  you  believe  I 
had,  like  those  Bourbons  and  all  legitimate  princes,  learned  nothing 
from  history,  and  not  been  taught  by  the  examples  it  holds  up  to  all 
those  who  have  eyes  to  see  with  ?  I  have  learned  from  history  that 
dynasties  dry  up  like  trees,  and  that  it  is  better  to  uproot  the  hollow, 
withered -up  trunk  rather  than  permit  it,  in  its  long  decay,  to  suck 
up  the  last  nourishing  strength  from  the  soil  on  which  it  stands. " 

"  Sire,  you  do  not  only  uproot  the  decaying  trunk,  but  with  the 
axe  of  the  tyrant  you  deprived  this  trunk  of  its  fresh,  green  branches 
also, "  exclaimed  Marianne. 

"Ah,  you  refer  to  the  Duke  d'Enghien, "  said  Napoleon,  quietly. 
"  It  was  an  act  of  policy,  which  I  do  not  regret.  The  Bourbons  had 
to  understand  at  length  that  France  wanted  to  give  them  up  and 
create  a  new  era  for  herself.  I  stood  at  the  head  of  this  new  era, 
and  I  had  to  fill  in  a  becoming  manner  the  position  Providence  had 
conferred  on  me.  Providence  destined  me  to  become  the  founder  of 
a  new  dynasty,  and  there  will  be  a  day  when  my  family  will  occupy 
the  first  thrones  of  the  world. "  * 

"  That  is  to  say,  you  declare  war  against  all  princes, "  exclaimed 
Marianne. 

"  Against  the  princes,  yes, "  said  Napoleon,  "  for  they  are  nothing 
but  over-ripe  fruits  only  waiting  for  the  hand  that  is  to  shake  them 
off.  I  shall  be  this  hand,  and  before  me  they  will  fall  to  the  ground, 
and  I  shall  rise  higher  and  higher  above  them.  You  call  me  a  con- 
queror, but  how  could  I  stop  now  in  my  work  ?  If  I  should  pause 
now  in  my  conquests  and  sheathe  my  sword,  what  should  I  have 
gained  by  so  many  efforts  but  a  little  glory,  without  having  ap- 
proached the  goal  to  which  I  was  aspiring?  What  should  I  have 
gained  by  setting  all  Europe  in  a  blaze  if  I  should  be  contented  with 
having  overthrown  empires  and  not  hasten  to  build  up  my  own  em- 
pire on  solid  foundations?  It  is  not  birth  that  entitles  me  to  im- 
*  Napoleon's  own  words.— Vide  "Le  Normand,"  voL  ii,,  p.  29. 


442  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

mortality.  The  man  who  is  possessed  of  courage,  who  does  good 
service  to  his  country,  and  renders  himself  illustrious  by  great  ex- 
ploits, that  man  needs  no  pedigree,  for  he  is  everything  by  himself. "  * 

"  But  in  the  eyes  of  the  legitimists  he  is  always  nothing  but  an 
upstart, "  said  Marianne,  shrugging  her  shoulders. 

"  In  that  case  he  must  overthrow  and  annihilate  all  legitimists, " 
said  Napoleon,  quickly ;  "  so  that  a  new  dynasty  may  arise,  of 
which  he  will  be  the  founder.  I  am  the  man  of  Destiny,  and  shall 
found  a  new  dynasty,  and  one  day  the  whole  of  Europe  will  be  but 
one  empire,  my  empire  !  All  of  you,  instead  of  cursing  me,  should 
joyfully  hail  my  coming  and  welcome  me  as  your  liberator  sent  by 
Providence  to  raise  you  from  your  degradation  and  disgrace.  Just 
look  around,  you  Germans,  and  see  what  sort  of  princes  and  govern- 
ments you  have  got.  Are  you  being  ruled  by  noble,  high-minded 
sovereigns ;  are  men  of  ability  and  character  at  the  head  of  your 
governments?  I  only  behold  impotence,  infamy,  and  venality 
everywhere  in  the  German  cabinets.  The  system  of  nepotism  is 
everywhere  in  force ;  offices  are  gifts  of  favor,  and  not  rewards  of 
merit ;  intrigues  and  corrupt  influences  succeed  in  placing  the  fore- 
most positions  of  the  state  into  the  hands  of  incapable  men,  and 
great  minds,  if  there  be  any  at  all,  are  utterly  ignored.  The  result 
of  this  system  is,  of  course,  that  men  cease  cultivating  their  minds, 
and  that  the  virtues  and  talents  which  are  not  rewarded  with  a  just 
tribute  of  glory,  lose  their  vigor  and  enthusiasm ;  nay,  often  their 
very  existence.  When  a  nation  sees  none  but  incapable  favorites 
and  venal  intriguers  at  the  head  of  the  various  departments  of  its 
administration  and  of  its  armies,  how  is  it  to  prosper  and  expand,  to 
increase  its  wealth,  and  to  win  victories  !  Woe  to  the  nation  which 
allows  itself  to  be  governed  by  such  ministers,  and  to  be  defended 
by  such  generals  as  I  have  found  everywhere  in  Germany  !  As  the 
man  of  Destiny,  I  have  come  to  devote  to  her  my  hand,  my  mouth, 
and  my  heart  for  the  purpose  of  liberating  her  and  delivering  her 
from  her  disgraceful  chains. "  f 

"  And  to  load  her  with  even  more  disgraceful  ones, "  exclaimed 
Marianne,  her  eyes  flaming  with  anger  ;  "for  there  is  nothing  more 
disgraceful  on  earth  than  a  nation  submitting  to  a  foreign  barbarian 
and  humbly  kissing  the  feet  of  its  oppressor,  instead  of  expelling 
him  by  the  majesty  of  its  wrath.  If  you,  a  modern  Attila,  go  on 
with  your  murderous  sword,  Europe  is  ruined,  and  all  dignity  of 
the  nations,  all  the  centres  of  scientific  eminence,  all  the  hopes  of 
humanity  are  lost.  For  nations  can  only  perform  great  things,  and 
create  great  things,  when  they  are  independent ;  and  freedom  itself 

*  Napoleon's  own  words.— Vide  "Le  Normand."  vol.  ii.,  p.  49. 
tlbid.,  p.  89. 


JUDITH  AND  HOLOFERNES.  443 

is  of  no  use  to  them  if  they  must  receive  it  as  a  favor  at  the  hands  of 
their  conqueror. " 

"  Earth  ought  to  have  but  one  ruler,  as  heaven  has  but  one  God, " 
said  Napoleon,  solemnly.  "  I  have  only  begun  my  task ;  it  is  not 
yet  accomplished.  Hitherto  I  have  subjected  only  France,  Italy, 
Switzerland,  and  Holland  to  my  sceptre,  but  my  goal  is  even  more 
sublime  than  that.  And  who  will  prevent  me  from  seizing  West- 
phalia, the  Hanseatic  cities,  and  Rome,  and  from  annexing  the 
Illyrian  provinces,  Etruria,  and  Portugal  to  France?  I  do  not 
know  yet  where  to  fix  the  boundaries  of  my  empire.  Perhaps  it 
will  have  no  other  boundaries  than  the  vast  space  of  the  two  hemi- 
spheres ;  perhaps,  like  Americus  Vespucius  and  Columbus,  I  shall 
obtain  the  glory  of  discovering  and  conquering  another  unknown 
world !"  * 

"  And  if  you  should  discover  a  third  world, "  exclaimed  Marianne, 
"  God  may  decree,  perhaps,  that  in  this  new  world,  an  avenger  of 
the  two  old  worlds  may  arise  and  tell  you  in  the  thundering  voice 
of  Jehovah :  '  Here  are  the  boundaries  of  your  empire !  So  far  and 
no  farther!'" 

"But  I  should  not  shrink  back,"  said  Napoleon,  smiling,  "but 
advance  to  fight  for  my  good  right  with  the  avenger  sent  by  Provi- 
dence, for  I  was  also  sent  by  Providence ;  I  am  a  chosen  son  of 
Heaven,  and  if  there  is  a  misfortune  for  me,  it  is  that  I  have  come 
too  late.  Men  are  too  enlightened  or  too  sober ;  hence,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  accomplish  great  things. " 

"  Ah,  you  say  so, "  exclaimed  Marianne,  "  you,  whose  fate  is  so 
brilliant  and  exalted?  You,  who  once  were  a  humble  officer  of 
artillery,  and  now  are  seated  as  emperor  on  a  mighty  throne?" 

"  Yes, "  said  Napoleon,  in  a  low  voice,  as  if  to  himself,  "  I  admit, 
my  career  was  brilliant  enough, — I  have  pursued  a  splendid  path  I 
But  how  much  difference  there  is  between  me  and  the  heroes  of 
antiquity  !  How  much  more  fortunate  was  Alexander !  After  con- 
quering Asia,  he  declared  he  was  the  son  of  Jove,  and  the  whole 
Orient  believed  it,  except  Olympias,  who  knew  very  well  what  to 
think  of  it,  and  except  Aristotle,  and  a  few  other  pedants  of  Athens  1 
But  if  I,  who  have  made  more  conquests  and  won  greater  victories 
than  Alexander, — if  I  should  declare  to-day  I  were  the  son  of  God, 
and  offer  Him  my  thanksgiving  under  this  title,  there  would  be  no 
fishwoman  that  would  not  laugh  at  me.  The  nations  are  too  en- 
lightened and  too  sober;  it  is  impossible  to  accomplish  great 
things. "  f 

*  Napoleon's  own  words.— "Le  Normand,  Mfimoires,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  69. 
+  Napoleon's  own  words.— Vide  "M6moires  du  Mar6chal  Due  de  Eaguse,"  voL 
ii. ,  p.  843. 


444  LOUISA   OP  PRUSSIA. 

"  There  will  be  a  day,  sire,  when  the  nations  will  rise  and  prove 
to  you  that  they  are  able  to  accomplish  great  things  !" 

"And  on  that  day  they  will  trample  me  in  the  dust,  I  suppose?" 
asked  Napoleon,  with  an  almost  compassionate  smile.  "Do  not 
hope  too  sanguinely  for  this  day,  for  your  hopes  might  deceive  you. 
I  have  spoken  so  freely  and  frankly  to  you, "  he  continued,  rising, 
"because  I  knew  that,  by  speaking  to  you,  I  was  speaking,  through 
you,  to  the  most  eminent,  high-minded,  and  patriotic  men  of  your 
nation,  and  because  I  wished  to  be  comprehended  and  appreciated 
by  them.  Go,  then,  and  repeat  my  words  to  them — repeat  them  to 
those,  too,  who  believe  that  the  throne  which  I  have  erected  belongs 
to  them,  and  that  the  tri-colored  flag  would  have  to  disappear  one 
day  before  the  lilies.  Go,  madame,  and  tell  those  enthusiastic 
Bourbons  the  lilies  were  so  dreadfully  steeped  in  the  misery  and 
blood  of  France  that  nobody  would  recognize  them  there,  and  that 
everybody  was  shrinking  back  from  their  cadaverous  smell  and 
putridity.  Empires  and  dynasties,  like  flowers,  have  but  one  day 
of  bloom ;  the  day  of  the  Bourbons  is  past ;  they  are  faded  and 
stripped  of  their  leaves.  State  it  to  those  who  one  day  sent  you 
certainly  to  me,  and  perhaps  again  to-day.  If  you  relate  to  them  to- 
day's scene,  they  may  deplore,  perhaps,  that  fate  did  not  permit  you 
to  become  a  Judith,  but  they  will  have  to  acknowledge  at  least  that 
I  am  no  Holofernes.  For  although  the  most  beautiful  woman  of 
my  enemies  came  to  my  couch  to  visit  me,  she  did  not  kill  me,  and 
her  dagger  lies  at  my  feet !  I  shall  preserve  it  as  a  remembrancer, 
and  Grand-marshal  Duroc,  M.  von  Brandt,  and  Constant,  my  valet 
de  chambre,  who  are  waiting  for  you  in  the  anteroom,  will  believe 
that  dagger  to  be  a  souvenir  of  your  love  and  of  a  delightful  hour  of 
my  life.  We  will  not  undeceive  them  !  Farewell,  madame  !" 

He  gave  Marianne  no  time  to  answer  him,  but  took  the  silver 
bell  and  rang  it  so  loudly  and  violently  that  Constant  appeared  in 
evident  terror  in  the  door. 

"  Constant, "  said  the  emperor,  "  conduct  the  lady  to  her  carriage  ; 
she  will  return  to  Vienna ;  and  as  for  M.  von  Brandt,  tell  him  the 
princess  had  allowed  me  to  be  her  paymaster,  and  to  pay  him  in  her 
place  for  the  happy  minutes  of  our  interview." 

"Sire,"  ejaculated  Marianne,  in  dismay,  "you  will — " 

"Hush,"  the  emperor  interrupted  her  proudly,  "I  will  pay  my 
tribute  to  Dame  Fortune  !  Farewell,  madame  ;  remember  this  hour 
sometimes !" 

He  waved  a  parting  salutation  to  her  with  his  hand,  and  then 
disappeared  through  the  door  leading  to  his  bedroom. 

Marianne  stared  at  him  until  he  was  gone,  as  though  she  had 
just  seen  a  ghost  walking  before  her,  and  as  though  her  whole 


JUDITH  AND  HOLOFERNES.  445 

soul  were  concentrated  in  this  look  with  which  she  gazed  after 
him. 

"  Madame, "  said  Constant,  in  a  low  voice,  "  if  you  please !"  And 
he  approached  the  large  hall- door  which  he  opened. 

Marianne  started  when  she  heard  his  words  as  if  she  were  awak- 
ing from  a  dream  ;  she  left  the  room  silently,  and  without  deigning 
to  glance  at  Constant,  and  followed  her  smiling  guide  through  the 
halls.  In  the  first  anteroom  she  beheld  Grand -marshal  Duroc  and 
several  generals,  who  looked  at  the  princess  with  threatening  and 
sorrowful  glances.  Marianne  felt  these  glances  as  if  they  were  dag- 
gers piercing  her  soul,  and  daggers  seemed  to  strike  her  ears  when 
she  heard  Constant  say  to  Major  von  Brandt :  "  You  will  stay  here, 
sir  ;  for  the  emperor  has  ordered  me  to  pay  you  here  for  the  hours 
his  majesty  has  spent  with  the  princess. " 

By  a  violent  effort,  Marianne  succeeded  in  overcoming  her  emo- 
tions, and  with  a  proudly  erect  head,  with  a  cold  and  immovable 
face,  she  walked  on  across  the  anterooms  and  descended  the  stair- 
case until  she  reached  her  carriage. 

Only  when  the  carriage  rolled  along  the  road  toward  Vienna 
through  the  silent  night,  the  coachman,  notwithstanding  the  noise 
of  the  wheels,  thought  he  heard  loud  lamentations,  which  seemed  to 
proceed  from  the  interior  of  the  carriage.  But  he  must  have  cer- 
tainly been  mistaken,  for  when  the  carriage  stopped  in  the  court- 
yard in  front  of  her  mansion,  and  the  footman  hastened  to  open  the 
coach-door,  the  princess  alighted  as  proud  and  calm,  as  beautiful 
and  radiant  as  ever,  and  ascended  the  staircase  coolly  and  slowly. 
At  the  head  of  the  stairs  stood  Madame  Camilla,  muttering  a  few 
words  with  trembling  lips  and  pale  cheeks.  Marianne  apparently 
did  not  see  her  at  all,  and  walked  coldly  and  proudly  down  the 
corridor  leading  to  her  rooms. 

She  ordered  the  maids,  who  received  her  in  her  dressing-room, 
with  an  imperious  wave  of  her  hand,  to  withdraw,  and  when  they 
had  left  the  room  she  locked  the  door  behind  them.  She  then  went 
with  rapid  steps  to  the  boudoir  contiguous  to  the  dressing-room, 
and  here,  where  she  was  sure  that  no  one  could  see  or  overhear  her, 
she  allowed  the  proud  mask  to  glide  from  her  face,  and  showed  its 
boundless  despair.  With  a  loud  shriek  of  anguish  she  sank  on  her 
knees  and  raising  her  folded  hands  to  heaven,  cried,  in  the  wailing 
notes  of  terrible  grief  : 

"  Oh,  my  God,  my  God  !  let  me  succumb  to  this  disgrace.  Have 
mercy  on  me,  and  let  me  die  !" 

But  after  long  hours  of  struggling  and  despair,  of  lamentations 
and  curses,  Marianne  rose  again  from  her  knees  with  defiant  pride 
and  calm  energy. 


446  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

"No,"  she  muttered,  "I  must  not,  will  not  die!  Life  has  still 
claims  on  'me,  and  the  secret  league,  of  which  I  have  become  the 
first  member,  imposes  on  me  the  duty  of  living  and  working  in  its 
service.  I  was  unable  to  strike  the  tyrant  with  my  dagger ;  well, 
then,  we  must  try  to  kill  him  gradually  by  means  of  pin-pricks. 
Such  a  pin-prick  is  the  manuscript  which  Gentz  has  intrusted  to  me 
in  order  to  have  it  published  and  circulated  throughout  Germany. 
Somewhere  a  printing-office  will  be  found  to  set  up  this  manuscript 
with  its  types ;  I  will  seek  for  it,  and  pay  the  weight  of  its  types  in 
gold." 

Early  next  morning  the  travelling-coach  of  the  princess  stood  at 
the  door,  and  Marianne,  dressed  in  a  full  travelling-costume,  pre- 
pared for  immediate  departure.  She  had  spent  the  whole  night  in 
arranging  her  household  affairs.  Now  every  thing  was  done,  every 
thing  was  arranged  and  ready,  and  when  about  to  descend  the  stair- 
case, the  princess  turned  around  to  Madame  Camilla,  who  followed 
her  humbly. 

"  Madame, "  she  said,  coldly  and  calmly,  "you  will  be  kind  enough 
to  leave  my  house  this  very  hour,  in  order  to  write  your  diary  some- 
where else.  The  French  governor  of  Vienna  will  assign  to  you, 
perhaps,  a  place  with  his  mouchards ;  go,  therefore,  to  him,  and 
never  dare  again  to  enter  my  house.  My  steward  has  received  in- 
structions from  me  ;  he  will  pay  you  your  wages,  and  see  to  it  that 
you  will  leave  the  house  within  an  hour.  Adieu  !" 

Without  vouchsafing  to  glance  at  Madame  Camilla,  she  descended 
the  staircase  calmly  and  haughtily,  and  entered  her  carriage,  which 
rolled  through  the  lofty  portal  of  the  court-yard  with  thundering 
noise. 


CHAPTER    LIV. 

THE  FALL  OF  THE  GERMAN  EMPIRE. 

THE  peace  of  Presburg  had  been  concluded ;  it  had  deprived 
Austria  of  her  best  provinces. 

The  offensive  and  defensive  alliance  between  Prussia  and  France 
had  been  signed ;  it  had  deprived  Prussia  of  the  principalities  of 
Cleves,  Berg,  and  Neufchatel. 

Germany,  therefore,  had  reason  enough  in  the  beginning  of  1806 
to  mourn  and  complain,  for  her  princes  had  been  humiliated  and 
disgraced  ;  her  people  had  to  bear  with  their  princes  the  ignominy 
of  degradation  and  dependence. 

Germany,  however,  seemed  to  be  joyful  and  happy ;  festivals 


THE  FALL  OF  THE  GERMAN  EMPIRE.  447 

were  being  celebrated  everywhere — festivals  in  honor  of  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  and  his  family,  festivals  of  love  and  happiness. 

After  the  victory  Napoleon  had  obtained  at  Austerlitz  over  the 
two  emperors,  after  the  conclusion  of  the  treaty  of  Presburg  and  the 
alliance  with  Prussia,  all  causes  of  war  with  Germany  seemed  re- 
moved, and  Napoleon  laid  his  sword  aside  in  order  to  repose  on  his 
laurels  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  and,  instead  of  founding  new 
states,  to  bring  about  marriages  between  his  relations  and  the  scions 
of  German  sovereigns — marriages  which  were  to  draw  closer  the 
links  of  love  and  friendship  uniting  France  with  Germany,  and  to 
make  all  Germany  the  obedient  son-in-law  and  vassal  of  the  Em- 
peror of  France. 

In  Munich,  the  wedding-bells  which  made  Napoleon  the  father- 
in-law  of  a  German  dynasty,  were  first  rung.  In  Munich,  in  the 
beginning  of  1806,  Eugene  Beauharnais,  Napoleon's  adopted  son, 
was  married  to  the  beautiful  and  noble  Princess  Amelia  of  Bavaria, 
daughter  of  Maximilian,  Elector  of  Bavaria,  who,  by  the  grace  of 
Napoleon,  had  become  King  of  Bavaria,  as  Eugene,  by  the  same 
grace,  had  become  Viceroy  of  Italy. 

All  Bavaria  was  jubilant  with  delight  at  the  new  and  most  fortu- 
nate ties  uniting  the  German  state  with  France ;  all  Bavaria  felt 
honored  and  happy  when  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  with  his  wife 
Josephine,  came  to  Munich  to  take  part  in  the  wedding-ceremonies. 
Festivals  followed  each  other  in  quick  succession  in  Munich ;  only 
happy  faces  were  to  be  seen  there,  only  jubilant  shouts,  laughter, 
and  merry  jests  "were  to  be  heard  ;  and  whenever  Napoleon  appeared 
in  the  streets  or  showed  himself  on  the  balcony  of  the  palace,  the 
people  received  him  with  tremendous  cheers,  and  waved  their  hats 
at  the  emperor,  regardless  of  the  blood  and  tears  he  had  wrung  but 
a  few  days  before  from  another  German  state. 

No  sooner  had  the  wedding-bells  ceased  ringing  in  Munich  than 
they  commenced  resounding  in  Carlsruhe ;  for  Napoleon  wanted 
there,  too,  to  become  the  father-in-law  of  another  German  dynasty, 
and  the  niece  of  Josephine,  Mademoiselle  Stephanie  de  Beauharnais, 
married  the  heir  of  the  Elector  of  Baden,  who  now,  by  the  grace  of 
Napoleon,  became  Grand-duke  of  Baden. 

And  to  the  merry  notes  of  the  wedding-bells  of  Munich  and 
Carlsruhe,  were  soon  added  the  joyful  sound  of  the  bells  which 
announced  to  Germany  the  rise  of  a  new  sovereign  house  within  her 
borders,  and  inaugurated  the  elevation  of  the  brother-in-law  of  the 
Emperor  of  France  to  the  dignity  of  a  sovereign  German  prince. 
Those  solemn  bells  resounded  in  Cleves  and  Berg,  and  did  homage  to 
Joachim  Murat,  who,  by  the  grace  of  Napoleon,  had  become  Grand- 
duke  of  Berg.  Prussia  and  Bavaria  had  to  furnish  the  material  for 


4:48  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

this  new  princely  cloak ;  Prussia  had  given  the  larger  portion  of  it, 
the  Duchy  of  Cleves,  and  Bavaria,  grateful  for  so  many  favors,  had 
added  to  it  the  principality  of  Berg,  so  that  these  two  German  states 
together  formed  a  nice  grand- duchy  for  the  son  of  the  French  inn- 
keeper— for  Joachim  Murat,  for  the  brother-in-law  of  the  French 
emperor. 

And  when  the  joyful  sounds  had  died  away  in  Munich,  Carls- 
ruhe,  and  the  new  grand -duchy  of  Berg,  they  resounded  again  in 
Stuttgart,  for  in  that  capital  the  betrothal  of  Jerome,  youngest 
brother  of  Napoleon,  and  of  a  daughter  of  the  Elector  of  Wurtem- 
berg,  who  now,  by  the  grace  of  Napoleon,  had  become  King  of 
Wurtemberg,  was  celebrated.  It  is  true  Jerome,  the  emperor's 
brother,  wore  no  crown  as  yet ;  it  is  true  this  youngest  son  of  the 
Corsican  lawyer  had  hitherto  been  nothing  but  an  "  imperial  prince 
of  France, "  but  his  royal  father-in-law  of  Wurteraberg  felt  convinced 
that  his  august  brother,  Napoleon,  would  endow  the  husband  of  his 
daughter  in  a  becoming  manner,  and  place  some  vacant  or  newly- 
to-be-created  crown  on  his  head.  Napoleon,  moreover,  had  just 
then  endowed  his  elder  brother  Joseph  in  such  a  manner,  and  made 
him  King  of  Naples,  after  solemnly  declaring  to  Europe  in  a  mani- 
festo, that  "  the  dynasty  of  Naples  had  ceased  to  reign,  and  that  the 
finest  countiy  on  earth  was  to  be  delivered  at  length  from  the  yoke 
of  the  most  perfidious  persons."  And  in  accordance  with  his  word, 
Napoleon  had  overthrown  the  Neapolitan  dynasty,  expelled  King 
Ferdinand  and  Queen  Caroline  from  their  capital,  and  placed  his 
brother  Joseph  on  the  throne  of  Naples.  * 

Hence,  the  King  of  Wurtemberg  was  not  afraid ;  he  was  sure 
that  Napoleon  would  discover  somewhere  a  falling  crown  for  his 
brother  Jerome,  and  give  to  the  daughter  of  the  most  ancient  German 
dynasty  a  position  worthy  of  the  honor  of  her  house. 

But  the  joyful  bells  were  not  only  rung  in  Germany  ;  they  re- 
sounded also  from  the  borders  of  Holland,  which  now,  by  the  grace 
of  Napoleon,  had  become  a  kingdom,  and  to  which,  again  by  the 
grace  of  Napoleon,  a  king  had  been  given,  in  the  person  of  Louis, 
another  brother  of  the  Emperor  of  France.  They  resounded,  too, 
from  Italy,  where,  in  this  blessed  year  of  1806,  so  productive  of  new 
crowns,  on  one  day,  March  30,  1806,  suddenly  twelve  duchies  sprang 

*  Napoleon  rewarded  his  generals  and  ministers,  besides,  with  duchies,  which 
he  created  for  them  in  Italy,  and  the  rich  revenues  of  which  he  assigned  to  them. 
Thus  Marmont  became  Duke  of  Ragusa;  Mortier,  Duke  of  Treviso;  Bessieres, 
Duke  of  Istria;  Savary,  Duke  of  Rovigo;  Lannes,  Duke  of  Montebello;  Berrm- 
dotte,  Prince  of  Pontecorvo;  Talleyrand,  Prince  of  Benevento;  Fouch6,  Duke  of 
Otranto;  Maret,  Duke  of  Bassano ;  Soult,  Duke  of  Dalmatia;  Berthier,  Prince  of 
Heufchatel ;  Duroc,  Duke  of  Frioul,  etc. 


THE  FALL  OF  THE  GERMAN  EMPIRE.     449 

from  the  ground  and  placed  as  many  ducal  crowns  on  the  heads  of 
Napoleon's  friends  and  comrades. 

The  year  of  1806,  therefore,  was  a  blessed  and  happy  year ;  joy 
and  exultation  reigned  everywhere,  and  Napoleon  was  the  author  of 
all  this  happiness. 

Still  there  was  in  the  German  empire  a  city  which,  in  spite  of 
all  these  recent  festivals  and  demonstrations  of  satisfaction,  main- 
tained a  grave  and  gloomy  aspect,  and  apparently  took  no  part  what- 
ever in  the  universal  joy,  but  lived  in  its  sullen,  dull  quiet  as  it  had 
done  for  centuries. 

This  city  was  Ratisbon,  the  seat  of  the  German  Diet,  and  now 
the  property  and  capital  of  the  archchancellor  of  the  German  em- 
pire, Baron  Dalberg. 

For  centuries  Ratisbon  had  enjoyed  the  proud  honor  of  having 
the  ambassadors  of  all  the  German  states  meet  in  its  old  city-hall,  for 
the  purpose  of  deliberating  on  the  welfare  of  Germany.  From  the 
arched  windows  of  the  large  session-hall  the  new  laws  flitted  all 
over  Germany,  and  what  the  gentlemen  at  Ratisbon  had  decided  on, 
had  to  be  submitted  to  by  the  princes  and  people  of  Germany. 

And,  just  as  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  years  ago,  they  were  still 
in  session  at  Ratisbon — the  ambassadors  of  the  emperor,  of  the 
kings,  electors,  dukes,  free  cities,  counts,  and  barons  of  the  German 
empire.  There  met  every  day  in  their  old  hall  the  states  of  Austria, 
Prussia,  Bavaria,  Hanover,  Wurtemberg,  Baden,  Hesse -Darmstadt, 
Mecklenberg,  Brunswick,  and  whatever  might  be  the  names  of  the 
different  members  of  the  great  German  empire. 

They  met,  but  they  did  not  deliberate  any  longer ;  they  merely 
guessed  what  might  be  the  fate  of  Germany,  how  long  they  would 
sit  there  in  gloomy  idleness,  and  when  it  might  please  the  new  pro- 
tector of  Germany,  the  Emperor  of  France,  to  remember  them  and 
say  to  them :  "  Go  home,  gentlemen,  for  your  time  has  expired. 
The  German  Diet  has  ceased  to  exist,  and  I  will  deliver  Germany 
from  this  burden. " 

But  neither  the  Emperor  of  France  nor  the  sovereigns  of  Ger- 
many seemed  to  remember  that  there  was  a  Diet  still  in  session  at 
the  ancient  city-hall  of  Ratisbon,  which  formerly  had  to  sanction 
all  treaties  of  peace,  all  cessions  of  territory,  and  all  political 
changes  whatever,  so  that  they  might  be  recognized  and  become 
valid  in  the  German  empire. 

Now,  the  Emperor  of  Germany  had  not  even  deemed  it  necessary 
to  submit  to  the  Diet  at  Ratisbon  the  treaty  of  peace  concluded  with 
Napoleon  at  Presberg  for  ratification,  but  had  contented  himself 
with  merely  notifying  the  Diet  of  its  conclusion.  In  vhe  same 
manner,  and  on  the  same  day,  the  ambassadors  of  Bavaria  and 


450  LOUISA  OF   PRUSSIA. 

Wurtemberg  had  risen  from  their  seats  to  announce  to  the  Diet  that 
they  were  now  no  longer  representatives  of  electors,  but  of  kings — 
Bavaria  and  Wurtemberg,  with  the  consent  of  the  Emperor  of 
France,  having  assumed  the  royal  title  ;  and  when  these  two  gentle- 
men had  resumed  their  seats,  the  ambassador  of  the  Elector  of 
Baden  rose  for  the  purpose  of  declaring  that  he  was  representing  no 
longer  an  electorate,  but  a  grand-duchy — the  Elector  of  Baden,  with 
the  consent  of  the  Emperor  of  France,  having  assumed  the  grand- 
ducal  title. 

The  Diet  had  received  these  announcements  silently  and  without 
objection ;  it  had  been  silent,  also,  when,  a  few  days  later,  the 
French  ambassador,  M.  Bacher,  appeared  in  the  session-hall  and 
aunounced  that  Murat,  as  Duke  of  Cleves,  had  become  a  member  of 
the  German  empire.  Every  ambassador,  however,  had  asked  him- 
self silently  how  it  happened  that  the  new  member  of  the  empire 
did  not  hasten  to  avail  himself  of  his  rights,  and  to  send  an  ambas- 
sador to  take  his  seat  at  the  Diet  of  Ratisbon. 

The  Diet,  as  we  have  stated  already,  received  all  these  announce- 
ments in  silence,  and  what  good  would  it  have  done  to  it  to  speak? 
Who  still  respected  its  voice?  Who  still  bowed  to  its  name?" 

Only  for  appearance  sake,  only  for  the  purpose  of  conversing 
with  each  other  in  a  low  tone  about  their  own  misfortunes,  their 
weakness  and  impotence,  did  the  ambassadors  of  the  German  princes 
and  cities  meet  still,  and  instead  of  giving  laws  to  Germany,  as 
formerly,  they  only  communicated  to  each  other  their  suppositions 
concerning  the  fate  that  might  be  in  store  for  Germany  and  the 
German  Diet  at  Ratisbon. 

The  gentlemen  were  assembled  again  to-day  in  the  large  session- 
hall,  and  all  the  German  states,  which  elsewhere  were  bitterly  quar- 
relling with  each  other,  were  sitting  peaceably  around  the  large 
green-table  and  chatting  about  the  events  that  had  taken  place  in 
the  German  empire,  and  might  occur  in  the  near  future. 

"  Have  you  read  the  new  pamphlets  which  are  creating  so  great 
a  sensation  at  the  present  time?"  said  Prussia  to  Saxony,  who  was 
seated  by  her  side. 

"  No,  I  never  read  any  pamphlets, "  replied  Saxony. 

"It  is  worth  while,  however,  to  read  these  pamphlets,"  said 
Prussia,  smiling;  "for  they  treat  of  an  absurd  idea  in  a  most  elo- 
quent and  enthusiastic  manner.  Just  think  of  it,  they  advocate  in 
dead  earnest  the  idea  of  placing  the  German  empire,  now  that  the 
power  of  Austria  has  been  paralyzed,  under  the  protection  of  Bavaria, 
and  of  appointing  the  new  King  of  Bavaria  chief  of  Germany. " 

"The  idea  is  not  so  bad,  after  all,"  said  Saxony,  smiling;  "the 
Bavarian  dynasty  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  in  Germany,  and  its 


THE  FALL  OF  THE  GERMAN  EMPIRE.      451 

power  is  greater  than  ever,  inasmuch  as  it  may  boast  of  the  friend- 
ship and  favor  of  the  Emperor  of  France.  The  Emperor  Napoleon 
would,  perhaps,  raise  no  objections  in  case  the  King  of  Bavaria 
should  be  elected  Emperor  of  Germany. " 

"Oh,  no,"  whispered  Brunswick,  Saxony's  neighbor  on  the  left; 
"I  received  late  and  authentic  news  yesterday.  The  Emperor 
Napoleon  intends  completely  to  restore  the  German  empire  of  the 
middle  ages,  and  will  himself  assume  the  imperial  crown  of 
Germany. "  * 

"  What, "  exclaimed  Hesse,  who  had  overheard  the  words,  "  the 
Emperor  Napoleon  wants  to  make  himself  Emperor  of  Germany?" 

And  Hesse  had  spoken  so  loudly  in  her  surprise  that  the  whole 
Diet  had  heard  her  words,  and  every  one  repeated  them  in  great 
astonishment,  while  every  face  assumed  a  grave  and  solemn  air. 

"  Yes,  you  may  believe  that  such  is  the  case, "  said  Bavaria,  in 
an  audible  tone  ;  "  important  changes  are  in  store  for  us,  and  I  know 
from  the  best  source  that  Minister  Talleyrand  said  the  other  day, 
quite  loudly  and  positively,  '  That  the  fate  of  the  German  empire 
would  be  decided  on  toward  the  end  of  this  month. ' "  f 

"  And  to-day  is  already  the  23d  of  May, "  said  Oldenburg,  mus- 
ingly ;  "  we  may  look,  therefore,  every  hour  for  a  decision. " 

"Yes,  we  may  do  so, "  exclaimed  Wiirzburg ;  "  I  know  for  certain 
that  they  are  already  engaged  in  Paris  in  drawing  up  a  new  consti- 
tution for  Germany. " 

"  It  might  be  good,  perhaps, "  said  her  neighbor,  "  if  we  should 
also  commence  to  draw  up  a  new  constitution  for  Germany,  and 
then  send  it  to  Minister  Talleyrand,  because  we  are  certainly  more 
familiar  with  the  customs  and  requirements  of  the  German  empire 
than  the.statesmen  of  France.  We  ought  to  consult  with  the  arch- 
chancellor,  Baron  Dalberg,  about  this  matter.  But  where  is  the 
archchancellor ;  where  is  Dalberg?" 

"  Yes,  it  is  true,  the  archchancellor  has  not  yet  made  his  appear- 
ance," exclaimed  Oldenburg,  wonderingly.  "Where  can  he  be? 
Where  is  Dalberg?" 

And  the  question  was  whispered  from  mouth  to  mouth,  "  Where 
is  Dalberg?" 

Formerly,  in  the  glorious  old  times  of  the  German  empire,  it 
had  been  the  German  emperor  who,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
sessions  of  the  Diet,  had  always  asked  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Is  there  no 
Dalberg?"  And  at  his  question,  the  Dalbergs  had  come  forward 
and  placed  themselves  around  the  emperor's  throne,  always  ready 
to  undertake  great  things  and  to  carry  out  bold  adventures. 

*  Hausser's  "History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  781. 
tibid.,  p.  723. 

MUHLBACU— T  VOL.   7 


452  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Now,  it  was  not  the  emperor  who  called  for  his  Dalberg,  but  the 
Diet  that  whispered  his  name. 

And  it  seemed  as  if  the  man  who  had  been  called  for,  had  heard 
these  whispers,  for  the  large  doors  of  the  old  session-hall  opened, 
and  the  archchancellor  of  the  empire,  Baron  Dalberg,  entered. 

Clad  in  his  full  official  costume,  he  stepped  into  the  hall  and  ap- 
proached his  seat  at  the  green  table.  But  instead  of  sitting  down 
on  the  high-backed,  carved  arm-chair,  he  remained  standing,  and 
his  eyes  glided  greetingly  past  all  those  grave  and  gloomy  faces 
which  were  fixed  on  him. 

"  I  beg  the  august  Diet  to  permit  me  to  lay  a  communication  be- 
fore it, "  said  the  archchancellor  of  the  empire,  with  a  bow  to  the 
assembly. 

The  grave  faces  of  the  ambassadors  nodded  assent,  and  Dalberg 
continued,  in  a  loud  and  solemn  voice :  "  I  have  to  inform  the  Die^ 
that,  as  I  am  growing  old  and  feel  a  sensible  decline  of  my  strength, 
I  have  deemed  it  indispensable  for  the  welfare  of  Germany  and  my- 
self to  choose  already  a  successor  and  coadjutor.  Having  long 
looked  around  among  the  noble  and  worthy  men  who  surround  me 
in  so  great  numbers,  I  have  at  length  made  my  selection  and  conao 
to  such  a  decision  as  is  justified  by  the  present  state  of  affairs.  The 
successor  whom  I  have  selected  is  a  worthy  and  high-minded  man, 
whose  ancestors  have  greatly  distinguished  themselves  in  the  fif- 
teenth and  sixteenth  centuries  in  the  service  of  the  German  empire. 
It  is  the  Archbishop  and  Cardinal  Fesch,  uncle  of  the  Emperor  o\ 
France." 

A  long  and  painful  pause  ensued  ;  the  members  of  the  Diet  looked, 
as  if  stupefied  with  terror  and  astonishment,  at  this  man  who,  him- 
self a  German  prince,  dared  to  inform  the  German  Diet  that  he  had 
invited  a  foreigner  to  share  with  him  the  high  dignity  of  a  first 
German  elector  and  of  inheriting  it  after  his  death. 

Dalberg  read,  perhaps,  in  the  gloomy  mien  of  the  gentlemen  the 
thoughts  which  they  dared  not  utter,  for  he  hastened  to  communi- 
cate to  the  Diet  the  motives  which  had  influenced  him  in  making 
the  above-named  selection.  He  told  them  he  had  acted  thus,  not  in 
his  own  interest,  but  in  order  to  maintain  the  menaced  constitution 
of  the  German  empire,  and  to  place  it  under  Napoleon's  powerful 
protection.  He  then  informed  them  joyfully  that  the  Emperor  of 
the  French  had  already  approved  of  the  appointment  of  his  uncle, 
Cardinal  Fesch,  and  promised,  moreover,  that  he  would  devote  his 
personal  attention  to  the  regeneration  of  the  German  empire  and 
always  afford  it  protection. 

The  members  of  the  Diet  had  moodily  listened  to  him ;  their  air 


THE  FALL  OF  THE  GERMAN  EMPIRE.  453 

had  become  more  and  more  dissatisfied  and  gloomy ;  and  when  the 
elector  paused,  not  a  single  voice  was  heard  to  propose  the  vote  of 
thanks  which  Dalberg,  on  concluding  his  remarks,  had  asked  for, 
but  only  a  profound,  ominous  stillness  followed  his  speech. 

This,  however,  was  the  only  official  demonstration  which  the 
German  Diet  ventured  to  make  against  the  appointment  of  Cardinal 
Fesch,  and  their  silence  did  not  prevent  the  consummation  of  this 
unparalleled  measure.  A  foreigner,  not  even  familiar  with  the 
German  language,  now  became  coadjutor  of  the  archchancellor  of 
the  German  empire — a  foreigner  became  the  first  member  of  the 
German  electoral  college — a  foreigner  was  to  have  the  seals  of  the 
empire  in  his  hands,  keep  the  laws  of  Germany  in  his  archives,  and 
preside  at  the  election  of  the  emperors  and  at  the  sessions  of  the  Diet ! 
And  this  foreigner  was  the  uncle  of  the  Emperor  of  the  French,  of 
the  conqueror  of  the  world.  But  the  German  Diet  was  silent  and 
suffered  on. 

The  horizon  of  Germany  became  more  and  more  clouded ;  the 
Diet  continued  its  sessions  quietly,  calmly,  and  inaudibly  in  the  old 
city-hall  at  Ratisbon. 

It  was  reported  everywhere  that  the  Emperor  of  France  was 
about  to  give  a  new  constitution  to  the  German  empire,  and  that  the 
Emperor  of  Germany  had  pledged  himself  in  the  treaty  of  Presburg 
not  to  oppose  the  plans  of  Napoleon  in  relation  to  Germany. 

The  Diet  paid  no  attention  to  these  rumors  ;  it  remained  in  ses- 
sion, and  did  not  interrupt  its  silence.  It  remained  in  session  while 
the  secondary  German  princes,  whose  ambassadors  were  assembled 
in  Ratisbon,  hastened  in  person  to  Paris,  in  order  to  appear  there  as 
humble  supplicants  in  the  anterooms  of  the  emperor  and  Talleyrand, 
and  to  win  the  favor  of  Napoleon  and  his  minister.  This  favor, 
they  hoped,  would  gain  for  them  crowns  and  states,  render  them 
powerful  and  influential,  and  give  them  a  brilliant  position.  For 
Talleyrand  had  secretly  whispered  into  the  ears  of  all  of  them  : 
"Those  who  oppose  the  emperor's  plans,  and  refuse  to  accept  his 
protection,  will  be  mediatized ! "  *  Every  one  of  these  secondary 
German  princes  hoped,  therefore,  that  the  others  would  be  media- 
tized, and  that  he  would  receive  the  possessions  of  his  neighbors. 

Every  one,  therefore,  was  most  jealous  in  protesting  his  entire, 
submission  to  the  emperor's  will,  and  in  trying  to  gain  as  much  as 
possible  by  flattery,  bribery,  and  humble  supplication.  It  seemed 
as  though  in  Paris,  in  the  anterooms  of  the  emperor  and  his  minister 
Talleyrand,  a  market-booth  had  been  opened,  in  which  dice  were 

*  Mediatized  position  of  the  small  German  states,  when  their  princes  were 
under  an  emperor  1 


454  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

being  thrown  for  German  states  and  German  crowns,  or  where  they 
were  sold  at  auction  to  the  highest  bidder !  * 

The  Diet  heard  only  rumors,  vague  rumors,  about  these  proceed- 
ings, and  remained  quietly  in  session.  It  met  every  day  and  waited. 

And  at  length,  on  the  1st  of  August,  1806,  the  large  doors  of  the 
hall,  in  which  the  ambassadors  of  the  German  empire  were  assem- 
bled, opened,  and  the  minister  of  the  French  emperor  appeared  in 
their  midst,  and  approached  in  solemn  earnest  the  green  table,  on 
which  hitherto  Germany  alone  had  had  the  right  to  depose  her  notes 
and  declarations,  and  on  which  hitherto  the  German  Diet  alone  had 
written  laws  for  Germany. 

But  Bacher,  the  French  minister,  came  to  force  a  new  law  upon 
the  German  Diet — the  law  of  the  French  emperor. 

The  representative  of  the  French  emperor  addressed  the  German 
Diet  in  a  solemn  tone,  and  as  the  vast  session-hall  echoed  the  loud, 
imperious  voice  of  the  foreigner,  it  seemed  as  if  he  called  up  from 
their  graves  the  ghosts  of  past  centuries,  and  as  if  they  then  placed 
themselves  like  a  protecting  gray  cloud  before  the  menaced  Diet. 

"  The  German  constitution, "  said  the  minister  of  France — "  the 
German  constitution  is  now  but  a  shadow ;  the  Diet  has  ceased  to 
have  a  will  of  its  own.  Hence  his  majesty,  the  Emperor  of  France 
and  Italy,  is  not  obliged  to  recognize  the  existence  of  this  German 
constitution  any  longer ;  a  new  confederation  of  German  princes  will 
be  formed  under  his  protection,  and  his  majesty  will  assume  the 
title  of  Protector  of  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine.  In  order  to 
maintain  peace,  he  declared  formerly  that  he  would  never  extend 
the  boundaries  of  France  beyond  the  Rhine,  and  he  has  faithfully 
kept  his  word. "  f 

And  after  Bacher  had  uttered  these  words,  sixteen  members  of 
the  Diet,  twelve  princes,  and  four  electors,  rose  from  their  seats. 
The  first  of  the  German  electors,  the  archchancellor  of  the  empire, 
Charles  Theodore  von  Dalberg,  was  their  speaker,  and  lie  explained 
to  the  Diet,  in  the  name  of  his  fifteen  colleagues,  their  intentions 
and  views. 

*  Enormous  bribes  were  paid  by  the  German  princes  to  -win  the  favor  of  the 
prominent  functionaries  of  the  French  empire,  in  order  to  be  saved  by  their  in- 
fluence from  being  mediatized,  and  to  obtain  as  valuable  additions  to  their  terri- 
tories as  possible.  Diplomatic  gifts  were  not  even  secretly  distributed,  but  the 
business  was  carried  on  as  publicly  as  if  the  persons  concerned  in  it  had  been  on 
'change.  Everybody  knew  that  the  Prince  of  Salm-Kyrburg  had  bought  of  one  of 
the  French  ministers  two  hundred  thousand  bottles  of  champagne  at  an  enormous 
rate;  that  Labesnardiere,  Talleyrand's  first  secretary,  had  received  half  a  million 
of  francs  from  Hesse  Darmstadt;  and  that  the  Duke  of  Mecklenburg  had  promised 
him  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  Fredericks  d'ors  if  he  should  retain  his 
sovereignty.— Vide  Montgaillard,  "Histoire  de  France,"  vol.  x.,  p.  115. 

t  "Memoires  d'un  Homme  d'Etat,"  vol.  ix.,  p.  160. 


THE  FALL  OF  THE  GERMAN  EMPIKE.      455 

"The  last  three  wars  have  demonstrated,"  he  exclaimed,  "that 
the  German  empire  is  rotten  and  virtually  destroyed ;  hence  we 
German  princes  of  the  south  and  west  of  Germany  will  sever  our 
connection  with  a  constitution  which  has  ceased  to  exist,  and  place 
ourselves  under  the  protection  of  the  Emperor  of  the  French,  who  is 
anxious  to  secure  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  Germany.  We  have 
formed  a  confederation  among  ourselves,  and  the  Emperor  of  the 
French  will  be  the  head  and  protector  of  this  league,  which  will  be 
called  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine.  Solemnly  and  forever  do 
we,  princes  of  the  German  Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  renounce 
the  German  empire  and  the  German  Diet,  acknowledging  none  but 
the  Emperor  of  the  French  as  our  head  and  protector. " 

"  Yes,  we  renounce  the  German  empire  and  the  German  Diet, " 
exclaimed  the  sixteen  princes,  in  one  breath.  "  We  renounce  them 
now  and  forever !" 

And  they  noisily  pushed  aside  the  high-backed  arm-chairs,  on 
which  the  representatives  of  their  states  had  sat  for  centuries,  and 
left  the  session-hall  in  a  solemn  procession,  headed  by  the  arch- 
chancellor  of  the  empire.* 

The  remaining  members  of  the  Diet  gazed  on  them  in  profound 
silence,  and  when  the  door  closed  behind  the  disappearing  princes 
of  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  it  seemed  as  though  strange 
sounds  and  whisperings  filled  the  old  hall,  and  as  though  low  sighs 
and  lamentations  resounded  from  the  walls  where  the  portraits  of 
the  emperors  were  hanging. 

The  remaining  members  of  the  Diet  were  filled  with  awe ;  the 
sixteen  vacant  chairs  struck  terror  into  their  souls ;  they  rose  silently 
from  their  seats  and  left  the  hall  with  hasty  steps. 

But  on  the  following  day  the  German  Diet  met  again.  It  wanted 
to  consult  and  deliberate  as  to  what  ought  to  be  done  in  relation  to 
the  desertion  of  sixteen  of  its  members. 

And  it  consulted  and  deliberated  for  six  days  without  coming  to 
any  decision.  But  on  the  sixth  day  a  stop  was  put  to  the  debates. 

On  the  6th  of  August  a  special  envoy  of  the  Emperor  of  Germany 
appeared  at  the  city-hall  of  Ratisbon  while  the  Diet  was  in  session. 

He  approached  the  green  table  and  saluted  the  small  remnant  of 
the  great  assembly,  and  producing  a  large  letter  bearing  the  em- 
peror's privy  seal,  said  in  a  loud  and  solemn  voice  :  "In  the  name 
of  the  emperor !" 

And  the  members  of  the  Diet  rose  from  their  seats  to  listen  rever- 

*  The  members  of  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine  were  Bavaria,  Wurtemberg, 
Baden,  the  archchancellor  with  his  territory,  Berg,  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Nassau- 
Weilburg,  Nassau-TJsingen,  Hohenzollern- Hechingen,  Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, 
Salm-Salin,  Salm-Kyrberg,  Isenburg,  Aremberg,  Lichtenstein,  and  Von  der  Leyen. 


456  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

entially  to  the  imperial  message  which  his  majesty  had  addressed 
to  the  German  Diet  in  an  autograph  letter.  He  had  commissioned 
his  envoy  to  read  the  letter  to  the  Diet,  and  the  minister  read  as 
follows : 

"  Feeling  convinced  that  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  exercise  our 
imperial  rights  any  longer,  we  deem  it  our  duty  to  renounce  a  crown 
which  was  of  value  to  us  only  so  long  as  we  enjoyed  the  confidence 
of  the  electors,  princes,  noblemen,  and  states  of  the  German  empire, 
and  so  long  as  we  were  able  to  fulfil  the  duties  they  imposed  upon 
us.  Hence  we  are  obliged  to  declare  by  these  presents  in  the  most 
solemn  manner,  that,  considering  the  ties  which  united  us  with  the 
German  empire  as  broken  by  the  Conlederation  of  the  Rhine,  we 
hereby  give  up  the  imperial  crown  of  Germany  ;  at  the  same  time 
we  release  by  these  presents  the  electors,  princes,  and  states,  as  well 
as  the  members  of  the  supreme  court  and  other  magistrates  from 
the  duties  which  they  owed  to  us  as  legal  head  of  the  German  em- 
pire. Given  under  our  own  hand  and  seal.  Francis  the  Second, 
Emperor  of  Austria,  and  ruler  of  the  hereditary  states  of  Austria. "  * 

A  long  and  awful  silence  greeted  the  reading  of  this  letter,  which 
put  an  end  to  the  ancient  German  empire  after  an  existence  of  one 
thousand  and  six  years,  from  Charlemagne,  crowned  in  800,  to 
Francis  II.,  dispossessed  in  1806. 

The  members  of  the  German  Diet  then  rose  from  their  seats ; 
they  were  as  silent  and  shy  as  night-owls  startled  from  their  dark 
hiding-places  by  a  stray  sunbeam.  They  left  the  old  session-hall  at 
Ratisbon  in  gloomy  silence,  and  when  the  door  closed  behind  them, 
the  German  Diet  had  been  buried,  and  the  lid  on  its  coffin  had  been 
closed. 

The  last  night-owls  of  the  deceased  German  empire  hurried  in 
mournful  silence  from  the  session-hall  at  Ratisbon,  where  the  old 
portraits  henceforth  watched  alone  over  the  grave  of  the  German 
empire. 

When  they  stepped  out  into  the  market-place,  a  carriage  just 
rolled  past  the  city-hall,  and  the  gentleman  seated  in  it  leaned 
smilingly  out  of  the  coach-door,  and  saluted  kindly  and  affably  the 
pale,  grave,  and  sad  men  who  came  from  the  city-hall. 

This  gentleman  was  Count  Clement  Metternich,  who  was  going 
to  Paris  as  special  envoy  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria  for  the  purpose 
of  offering  to  the  Emperor  of  France  on  his  birthday  the  congratu- 
lations of  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  f 

On  the  6th  of  August  the  German  empire  had  died  and  was 
buried  1 

*  "M6moires  d'un  Homme  cTlStat,"  vol.  ix.,  p.  16ft 
tlbid.,  p.  162. 


THE  FALL  OF  THE  GERMAN  EMPIRE.  457 

On  the  15th  of  August  the  Emperor  of  the  French  celebrated  his 
birthday ;  and  the  princes  of  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  the  King  of  Prussia,  and  all  the  sovereigns 
who  had  been  members  of  the  late  German  empire,  celebrated  the 
great  day  in  the  most  solemn  manner. 

Napoleon  had  a  new  victory — a  victory  which  laid  the  whole  of 
Germany  at  his  feet.  He  had  buried  the  German  empire,  but  stood 
on  the  grave  of  the  august  corpse  as  its  lord  and  master. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  JESTA. 


CHAPTER    LV. 

A  GERMAN  BOOKSELLER  AND  MARTYR. 

IT  was  long  after  nightfall ;  in  the  narrow,  gloomy  streets  of  the 
ancient  free  city  of  Nuremberg  all  noise  had  long  since  died  away, 
and  all  the  windows  of  the  high  houses  with  the  gable-ends  were 
dark.  Only  on  the  ground-floor  of  the  large  house  in  the  rear  of  St. 
Sebald's  church  a  lonely  candle  was  burning,  and  the  watchman, 
who  was  just  walking  past  with  his  long  horn  and  iron  pike,  looked 
inquisitively  into  the  window,  the  shutters  of  which  were  not  en- 
tirely closed. 

"H'm  !"  he  said  to  himself  in  a  low  voice,  "the  poor  woman  is 
kneeling  and  weeping  and  praying  ;  I  am  sure  it  is  for  her  husband. 
In  her  grief  she  did  not  notice,  perhaps,  that  it  is  already  midnight. 
I  will  remind  her  of  it,  so  that  she  may  go  to  bed. " 

He  placed  himself  on  the  street  in  front  of  the  house,  blew  his 
horn  noisily,  and  then  sang  in  a  ringing  voice  : 

"Hurt,  Ihr  Herren,  und  lasst  euch  sagen, 
Die  Glock  hat  zwcilf  geschlagen; 
Ein  Jecler  bewahr  sein  Feuer  und  Licht, 
Dass  dieser  Stadt  kein  Harm  geschicht  1"  * 

"  So,  now  she  knows  it, "  muttered  the  watchman  ;  "  now  she  will 
go  to  bed. " 

And  he  sauntered  down  the  long  and  tortuous  street,  to  repeat 
his  song  on  the  next  corner. 

He  had  really  accomplished  his  purpose  ;  his  song  had  interrupted 
the  prayer  of  the  young  wife,  and  she  had  risen  from  her  knees. 

"Midnight  already!"  she  murmured,  in  a  low  voice.  "Another 
day  of  anguish  is  over,  and  a  new  one  is  beginning.  Oh,  would  to 
God  I  could  sleep,  always  sleep,  so  as  to  be  at  least  unconscious  of 
the  dangers  that  are  menacing  him  !  Oh,  my  God,  my  God  !  protect 
my  poor,  beloved  husband,  preserve  the  father  of  my  children  !  And 

*  The  ancient  song  of  the  German  watchman.  —"Listen,  gentlemen,  and  let  me 
tell  you:  the  clock  has  struck  twelve;  every  one  must  take  care  of  his  fire  and 
light,  that  no  harm  may  befall  this  city  1" 


A  GERMAN  BOOKSELLER  AND  MARTYR.  459 

now  I  will  go  to  bed,"  she  added,  after  a  pause.  "God  will  have 
mercy  on  me,  perhaps,  and  grant  me  a  few  hours  of  rest !" 

She  took  the  brass  candlestick,  on  which  a  taper  was  burning, 
and  went  slowly  and  with  bowed  head  to  the  adjoining  room. 
When  she  had  entered  it,  her  face  became  calmer  and  more  joyful, 
and  a  gentle  smile  lighted  up  her  charming  features  when  she  now 
approached  the  small  bed,  in  which  her  two  little  girls  lay  arm-in- 
arm, sweetly  slumbering  with  rosy  cheeks  and  half-opened  crimson 
lips. 

"  God  preserve  to  you  your  peace  and  innocence, "  whispered  the 
young  mother,  after  contemplating  her  children  long  and  tenderly. 
"God,  I  fondly  trust,  will  cause  this  cloud  to  glide  past  without 
your  hearing  the  thunder  roll,  and  being  shattered  by  the  lightning. 
Good-night,  my  children !" 

She  nodded  smilingly  to  the  slumbering  girls,  and  then  glided 
noiselessly  to  her  couch.  She  commenced  undressing  slowly  and 
sighing,  but  when  she  was  just  about  to  open  the  silver  buckle  of 
her  sash,  she  paused  and  looked  anxiously  toward  the  window. 

It  seemed  to  her  as  though  she  had  heard  a  soft  rapping  at  this 
window,  which  opened  upon  the  garden  in  the  rear  of  the  house, 
and  as  though  a  low  voice  has  uttered  her  name. 

Sure  enough,  the  sound  was  repeated,  and  she  now  heard  the 
voice  say  quite  distinctly  :  "  Open  the  window,  Anna. " 

She  rushed  toward  the  window  and  opened  it,  pale,  breathless, 
and  almost  out  of  her  wits. 

"  Is  it  you,  Palm  ?"  she  cried. 

"  It  is  I, "  said  a  low,  male  voice  ;  and  now  an  arm  became  visi- 
ble, it  encircled  the  crosswork  of  the  window  ;  in  the  next  second 
the  whole  form  of  a  gentleman  appeared,  and  vaulted  cautiously 
into  the  room. 

"God  be  praised,  I  am  with  you  again  !"  he  said,  drawing  a  deep 
breath  ;  "  it  seems  to  me  as  if  all  danger  were  past  when  I  am  again 
in  our  quiet  house  with  you  and  the  children. " 

"  No,  my  beloved  husband,  it  is  just  here  that  dangers  are  threat- 
ening you, "  said  the  young  wife,  sinking  into  the  open  arms  of  her 
husband,  and  reposing  her  head  on  his  breast.  "  My  God,  why  did 
you  return?" 

"  Because  I  was  afraid  when  I  was  far  from  you,  while  I  feel 
here  with  you  courageous  enough  to  brave  the  whole  world, "  said 
her  husband,  almost  cheerfully,  imprinting  a  glowing  kiss  on  the 
forehead  of  his  young  wife.  "  Believe  me,  Anna,  a  husband  always 
lacks  the  right  kind  of  courage  when  he  believes  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren to  be  in  danger.  For  six  days  I  have  been  separated  from  you  ; 
well,  in  these  six  days,  which  I  have  spent  in  perfect  security  at 


460  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Erlangen,  I  have  not  passed  a  minute  without  feeling  the  painful 
palpitation  of  my  heart,  nor  have  I  slept  a  minute.  I  always 
thought  of  and  trembled  for  you. " 

"But  we  are  in  no  danger,  while  you  are,  my  beloved,"  said  the 
young  wife,  sighing.  "  Our  house  is  closely  watched,  you  may  de- 
pend upon  it.  I  have  seen  French  gens-d'armes  hidden  behind  the 
pillars  of  the  church,  and  staring  for  hours  at  our  street-door.  Oh, 
if  they  knew  that  you  were  here,  they  would  arrest  you  this  very 
night !" 

"  They  would  not  dare  to  arrest  me !"  exclaimed  Palm,  loudly. 
"  We  do  not  yet  belong  to  France,  although  the  Emperor  of  France 
has  assumed  the  right  of  giving  the  ancient  free  city  of  Nuremberg 
to  Bavaria,  as  though  she  were  nothing  but  a  toy  got  up  in  our  fac- 
tories. We  are  still  Germans,  and  no  French  gens-d'armes  have 
any  right  to  penetrate  into  our  German  houses.  But  look,  the  chil- 
dren are  moving ;  little  Sophy  is  opening  her  eyes.  What  a  barba- 
rian I  am  to  speak  so  loudly,  and  not  even  to  respect  the  slumber  of 
our  little  ones !" 

He  hastened  to  the  small  bed,  and  bending  over  it,  nodded  smil- 
ingly a  greeting  to  the  little  girl,  who  was  staring  at  him,  still  hah* 
asleep.  The  child  whispered,  in  a  low  voice  :  "  Dear,  dear  father  1" 
and  fell  quietly  asleep  again. 

"  Come,  Anna, "  whispered  Palm,  "  let  us  go  to  your  room,  in  order 
not  to  disturb  the  children. " 

"  But  the  spying  eyes  of  our  enemies  might  see  you  there, "  said 
his  wife,  anxiously.  "  No,  let  us  stay  here,  even  though  we  should 
awaken  the  little  g*irls.  They  will  not  cry,  but  be  happy  to  see  their 
beloved  father,  and  what  we  are  speaking  to  each  other  they  cannot 
understand.  Come,  let  us  sit  down  here  on  the  small  sofa,  and 
permit  me  to  place  the  screen  before  it ;  then  I  am  sure  nobody  will 
be  able  to  see  you. " 

She  conducted  Palm  to  the  small  sofa  in  the  corner  of  the  room, 
and  placed  the  screen  as  noiselessly  as  possible  before  it. 

"So,"  she  said,  nestling  in  his  arms,  "now  we  are  here  as  if  in  a 
little  cell,  where  only  God's  eye  can  find  us.  So  long  aa  we  are  in 
this  cell  I  shall  not  be  afraid. " 

"  I  believe  it  is  unnecessary  for  you  to  be  afraid  at  all, "  said  Palm, 
smiling.  "  We  carry  our  apprehensions  to  too  great  a  length,  you 
may  depend  upon  it,  and  because  we  see  M.  Bonaparte  putting  whole 
states  into  his  pocket,  we  believe  it  would  be  easy  for  him  likewise 
to  put  a  respectable  citizen  and  bookseller  of  Nuremberg  into  it 
But,  be  it  spoken  between  us,  that  is  rather  a  haughty  idea,  and  M. 
Bonaparte  has  to  attend  to  other  things  than  to  take  notice  of  a 
bookseller  and  his  publications.  Remember,  my  child,  that  he  has 


A  GERMAN  BOOKSELLER  AND  MARTYR.  461 

just  got  up  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  and,  moreover,  is  said 
to  be  preparing  for  a  war  with  Prussia.  How  should  he,  therefore, 
have  time  to  think  of  a  poor  bookseller?" 

"  Do  you  think,  when  the  lion  is  going  to  meet  his  adversary  and 
to  struggle  with  him,  he  will  leave  the  wasp  which  he  has  met  on 
his  way,  and  which  has  stung  him  in  the  ear,  unpunished,  because 
he  has  more  important  things  to  attend  to?" 

"  But  I  did  not  sting  him  at  all, "  said  Palm,  smiling.  "  Let  us 
calmly  consider  the  whole  affair,  dearest  Anna,  and  you  will  see 
that  I  have  in  reality  nothing  to  fear,  and  that  only  the  accursed 
terror  which  this  M.  Bonaparte  has  struck  into  the  souls  of  all  Ger- 
mans has  caused  us  this  whole  alarm.  A  few  months  ago  I  received 
by  mail,  from  a  person  unknown  to  me,  a  large  package  of  books, 
enclosing  a  letter,  in  which  the  stranger  requested  me  to  send  the 
copies  of  the  pamphlet  contained  in  the  package  immediately  to  all 
German  booksellers,  and  to  give  it  as  wide  a  circulation  as  possible. 
The  'etter  contained  also  a  draft  for  one  thousand  florins,  drawn  by 
a  banker  of  Vienna,  Baron  Franke,  on  a  wealthy  banking-house  of 
our  city.  This  sum  of  one  thousand  florins,  said  the  letter,  was  to 
be  a  compensation  for  my  trouble  and  for  the  zeal  with  which,  the 
writer  stated,  he  felt  convinced  I  would  attend  to  the  circulation  of 
the  pamphlet. " 

"But  the  very  mystery  connected  with  the  whole  transaction 
ought  to  have  aroused  your  suspicion,  my  beloved. " 

"  Why  !  Are  not  we  Germans  now  under  the  unfortunate  neces- 
sity of  keeping  secret  our  most  sublime  thoughts  and  our  most  sacred 
sentiments  ?  And  ought  not,  therefore,  every  one  of  us  to  take  pains 
to  honor  and  protect  this  secrecy,  instead  of  suspecting  it?" 

"But  the  very  title  of  this  pamphlet  was  dangerous,  'Germany  in 
her  Deepest  Degradation. '  You  might  have  guessed  whom  this 
accusation  was  aimed  at. " 

"  At  Germany,  I  thought,  at  our  infamy  and  cowardice,  at  the 
perfidy  of  our  princes,  at  the  torpid,  passive  indifference  of  our 
people.  It  is  high  time  that  Germany,  which  is  now  tottering  about 
like  a  somnambulist,  should  be  aroused  by  a  manful  word  from  her 
slumber,  so  as  to  take  heart  again  and  draw  the  sword.  The  title 
told  me  that  the  pamphlet  contained  such  words  ;  hence,  I  was  not 
at  liberty  to  keep  it  out  of  circulation.  It  would  have  been  a  rob- 
bery perpetrated  upon  Germany,  a  theft  perpetrated  upon  him  who 
sent  me  the  money,  and  to  whom  I  could  not  return  it,  because  I 
was  not  aware  of  his  name. " 

"  You  ought  to  have  thought  of  your  wife  and  your  children, " 
murmured  Anna,  sighing. 

"  I  thought  of  you, "  he  said,  tenderly  ;  "  hence,  I  did  not  read  the 


LOUISA  OF  PRUSSIA. 

pamphlet,  in  order  not  to  be  shaken  in  what  I  thought  my  duty. 
First,  I  had  to  fulfil  my  duty  as  a  citizen  and  man  of  honor  ;  then 
only  I  was  at  liberty  to  think  of  you  and  my  personal  safety.  I 
sent,  therefore,  in  the  first  place,  a  certain  number  of  copies  of  the 
pamphlet  to  M.  Stage,  the  bookseller,  and  requested  him  to  circulate 
them  as  speedily  as  possible  among  his  customers. " 

"And,  God  knows,  he  has  done  so,"  sighed  Anna,,  "and,  like 
you,  he  was  not  deterred  by  the  title. " 

"  He  did  his  duty,  like  myself,  and  sent  the  pamphlets  to  lovers 
of  books.  In  this  manner  it  reached  a  preacher  in  the  country,  and 
unfortunately  there  were  two  French  officers  at  his  house ;  they 
understood  German,  read  the  pamphlet,  and  informed  their  colonel 
of  its  character.  The  latter  paid  a  visit  to  the  preacher,  and  learned 
from  him  that  M.  Stage,  the  bookseller  of  Augsburg,  had  sent  him 
the  pamphlet.  The  colonel  thereupon  repaired  to  Augsburg  and  saw 
M.  Stage." 

"  And  Stage  was  cowardly  and  perfidious  enough  to  betray  your 
name  and  to  denounce  you  as  being  the  bookseller  who  had  sent  him 
the  pamphlet, "  exclaimed  Anna,  her  eyes  flashing  with  indignation. 
"  Your  friend,  your  colleague  betrayed  you  !" 

"  I  had  not  requested  him  not  to  mention  my  name, "  said  Palm, 
gravely ;  "  he  had  a  right  to  name  it,  and  I  do  not  reproach  him 
with  doing  so.  I  was  informed  that  the  French  minister  in  Munich 
had  bitterly  complained  of  me  and  demanded  that  I  should  be  pun- 
ished ;  and  as  we  are  Bavarians  now,  I  hastened  to  Munich  in  order 
to  defend  myself. " 

"  And  while  you  were  there,  four  strangers  came  hither,  "Anna 
interrupted  him.  "  They  asked  for  the  pamphlet,  penetrated  in  the 
most  outrageous  manner,  in  spite  of  my  remonstrances,  into  your 
store,  searched  it,  and  left  only  when  they  had  satisfied  themselves 
that  not  a  copy  of  the  unfortunate  pamphlet  was  there. " 

"You  wrote  this  to  me  while  I  was  in  Munich,  and  at  the  same 
time  I  heard  that  Stage  had  been  arrested  in  Augsburg.  Impelled 
by  my  first  terror,  I  fled  from  the  capital  and  hastened  to  Erlangen, 
which  is  situated  on  Prussian  soil,  and  where  neither  the  Bavarian 
police  nor  the  French  gens-d'annes  could  lay  hands  on  me.  But  in 
Erlangen  I  reflected  on  the  matter,  and  I  confess  to  you  I  was 
ashamed  of  having  fled,  instead  of  confronting  an  examination 
openly  and  freely.  My  love,  my  yearning  attracted  me  toward  you  ; 
I,  therefore,  took  carriage  last  night  and  rode  home  to  my  beloved 
wife  and  to  my  children.  This  is  a  plain  statement  of  the  whole 
affair,  and  now  tell  me  what  should  I  be  afraid  of?" 

"You  may  fear  the  worst,"  exclaimed  Anna,  sadly;  "for  our 
French  tyrants  will  not  shrink  from  any  thing. " 


A  GERMAN  BOOKSELLER  AND  MARTYR.  463 

"But  fortunately  we  do  not  live  yet  under  the  French  sceptre," 
replied  Palm,  vividly;  "we  are  Germans,  and  only  German  laws 
are  valid  for  us. " 

"  No, "  said  Anna,  mournfully,  "  we  are  not  Germans,  but  Bava- 
rians, that  is  to  say,  the  allies,  the  humble  vassals  of  France.  Not 
the  King  of  Bavaria,  but  the  Emperor  of  France,  is  ruling  over  us. " 

"Well,  even  were  it  so,  I  could  not  see  what  crime  I  should  be 
charged  with.  I  neither  wrote  nor  published  this  pamphlet ;  I 
merely  circulated  it,  and  cannot,  therefore,  be  held  responsible  for 
its  contents.  Possibly,  they  may  arrest  me  as  they  have  arrested 
Stage,  and  may  intend  thereby  to  compel  me  to  mention  the  name  of 
him  who  sent  me  the  pamphlet,  as  Stage  mentioned  my  own  name. 
Fortunately,  however,  I  am  able  to  prove  that  I  know  neither  the 
author  nor  the  publisher  ;  for  I  have  got  the  best  proof,  of  it,  viz. , 
the  letter  which  I  received  with  the  package.  I  shall  lay  this  letter 
before  the  court,  and  the  judges  will  then  perceive  that  I  am  entirely 
innocent.  What  will  remain  for  them  but  to  caution  me  not  to 
circulate  henceforth  books  sent  to  me  anonymously,  and  then  to 
release  me?" 

"  But  if  they  should  not  release  you,  my  beloved  husband  ?"  asked 
his  wife,  anxiously  clasping  him  in  her  arms ;  "  if  in  their  rage 
at  being  unable  to  lay  their  hands  on  the  real  criminal,  they 
should  wreak  their  vengeance  on  you  for  having  circulated  the 
pamphlet  first  of  all,  and  punish  you  as  though  you  were  its  author?" 

"  Oh,  you  go  too  far, "  exclaimed  Palm,  laughing ;  "  your  imagina- 
tion calls  up  before  you  horrors  which  belong  to  the  realm  of  fable. 
We  still  live  in  a  well-regulated  state,  and  however  great  the  influ- 
ence of  France  may  be,  German  laws  are  still  valid  here  ;  and  as  we 
live  in  a  state  of  peace,  I  can  be  judged  only  in  accordance  with 
them.  Fear  not,  therefore,  dearest  wife.  The  worst  that  can  be- 
fall me  will  be  a  separation  for  a  few  days,  at  the  most  for  a  few 
weeks,  if  our  authorities  should  really  carry  their  fawning  submis- 
sion to  Bonaparte  to  such  a  length  as  to  call  a  German  citizen  to 
account  for  having,  in  his  business  as  a  bookseller,  circulated  a 
pamphlet — understand  me  well,  a  German  pamphlet,  destined  only 
for  Germany,  and  which  does  not  flatter,  perhaps,  the  Emperor  of 
the  French  quite  as  much  as  is  being  done  by  our  German  princes 
and  our  German  governments. " 

"Oh,  my  God,  my  God,"  wailed  Anna,  in  a  low  voice,  "the  pam- 
phlet is  directly  aimed  at  Napoleon,  then?" 

"  Yes,  at  him  who  has  placed  his  heels  on  the  neck  of  Germany 
and  trampled  her  in  the  dust, "  exclaimed  Palm.  "  This  pamphlet, 
called  'Germany  in  her  Deepest  Degradation, '  must  have  been  writ- 
ten against  him  alone.  Oh,  during  the  days  of  my  sojourn  in 


464  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Erlangen,  I  have  read  this  pamphlet,  and  whatever  may  befall  me, 
I  am  glad  it  was  I  who  circulated  it,  for  a  noble  German  spirit  per- 
vades the  whole  of  it,  and  it  is  truth  that  raises  the  scourge  in  it  to 
lash  the  guilty  parties.  It  is  a  vigorous  and  glowing  description  of 
the  condition  to  which  all  the  German  states  have  been  reduced  by 
Bonaparte's  arbitrary  proceedings.  Just  listen  to  this  one  passage, 
and  then  you  may  judge  whether  the  pamphlet  tells  the  truth  or 
not." 

He  drew  a  few  printed  leaves  from  his  side-pocket,  and  unfolded 
them. 

"You  have  got  a  copy  of  the  dreadful  pamphlet  with  you?"  asked 
Anna,  in  dismay.  "  Oh,  how  imprudent !  If  they  should  come  now 
to  arrest  you,  they  would  obtain  a  new  proof  of  your  guilt.  I  im- 
plore you,  my  friend,  my  beloved,  if  you  love  me,  if  your  children 
are  dear  to  you,  be  cautious  and  prudent !  Burn  those  terrible 
leaves,  so  that  they  may  not  testify  against  you.  Eemember  that  I 
should  die  of  grief  if  your  life  should  be  threatened ;  remember  that 
our  poor  children  then  would  be  helpless  orphans. " 

"  Oh,  my  poor,  timid  roe, "  said  Palm,  deeply  moved,  encircling 
his  weeping  young  wife  with  his  arms.  "  How  your  faithful,  inno- 
cent heart  is  fluttering,  as  if  the  cruel  hunter  were  already  aiming 
his  murderous  arm  at  us,  and  as  if  we  were  irretrievably  doomed ! 
Calm  yourself,  dearest,  I  pledge  you  my  word  that  I  will  comply 
with  your  wishes.  We  will  burn  the  pamphlet ;  but  previously  you 
shall  learn,  at  least,  the  spirit  in  which  this  pamphlet,  for  which 
your  poor  husband  will  have  to  suffer,  perhaps,  a  few  days'  impris- 
onment, is  written.  Just  listen  to  me  !  The  author  is  speaking  here 
of  Bavaria,  and  of  the  oppressions  to  which  she  is  a  prey  since  we 
have  concluded  an  alliance  with  France.  He  says  :  '  Since  that  time 
the  Bavarian  states  have  become  the  winter  quarters,  and  been 
treated  in  a  manner  unheard  of  since  the  Thirty  Years'  War.  At 
that  time  the  Austrians,  under  Tilly  and  Wallenstein,  were  pursuing 
precisely  the  same  course  now  followed  by  the  French,  and  if  their 
emperor  draws  no  other  lessons  from  that  war,  he  has  closely  copied, 
at  least,  the  system  of  obtaining  supplies  for  an  army  which  was 
then  in  use.  Trustworthy  men  have  assured  us  that  the  French 
ruler,  when  in  Munich  the  most  urgent  remonstrances  concerning 
the  oppressions  under  which  the  people  of  Bavaria  were  groaning 
were  made  to  him,  replied  in  cold  blood :  "  My  soldiers  have  not 
done  so.  These  are  times  of  war — let  me  alone,  and  do  not  disturb 
my  plans. "  Already  in  December  last  the  treaty  of  Presburg  was 
signed,  and  from  that  moment  Austria  had  the  prospect  of  getting 
rid  of  her  enemies.  Had  Bavaria  not  an  equal  right  to  enjoy  the 
advantageaof  this  treaty?  These  advantages  could  be  none  other 


A  GERMAN  BOOKSELLER  AND  MARTYR.  465 

than  that  the  French  army  left  the  Bavarian  territories  and  relieved 
the  people  from  further  oppressions.  But  just  the  reverse  took  place. 
The  French  withdrew  from  the  states  of  the  German  emperor  to  oc- 
cupy Bavaria,  and  celebrate  here,  by  the  ruin  of  all  the  inhabitants, 
their  victories  in  orgies  and  carousals  continued  for  many  months. 
If  I  refer  to  the  ruin  of  the  inhabitants,  the  words  should  be  taken 
in  their  literal  meaning,  and  not  as  an  expression  merely  chosen  to 
depict  the  misery  the  French  have  brought  upon  Bavaria.  It  is  not 
yet  five  years  since  a  hostile  army  of  the  same  nation  lorded  it  over 
that  country.  And  nobody  will  venture  to  assert  that  the  wounds 
then  inflicted  upon  the  inhabitants  should  have  been  healed  in  so 
short  a  time.  The  farmer,  deprived  of  hia  animals,  had  scarcely 
commenced  to  provide  himself  again  with  horses  and  cattle,  when 
the  passage  of  the  French,  in  every  respect  equal  to  an  invasion, 
took  from  him  again  this  important  portion  of  his  personal  property. 
Fraud,  cunning,  and  force  were  alternately  resorted  to  for  this  pur- 
pose. Tears  and  the  most  humble  supplications  were  rejected  with 
sneers,  and  even  blows.  The  French  called  themselves  u  preservers 
of  Bavaria."  Forsooth  a  preservation  similar  to  the  fate  of  the 
patient  whom  one  doctor  would  have  sooner  sent  into  the  grave,  and 
who  is  dying  more  slowly  under  the  hands  of  another.  If  friend- 
ship ever  was  a  mockery,  it  was  so  on  this  occasion.  But  it  is  part 
of  Napoleon's  plans  to  exhaust  Germany  to  such  an  extent  as  to  ren- 
der her  incapable  of  becoming  dangerous  for  him  even  in  the  most 
remote  future.  He  selected  several  highly  effective  expedients  for 
this  purpose.  Dynasties,  the  ancestors  of  which  date  back  to  the 
most  remote  ages,  and  one  of  which  long  since  produced  emperors 
and  kings,  were  united  with  Bonaparte's  family  by  the  closest  ties 
of  blood,  and  thus  the  ruler  of  France  has  already  become  the  rela- 
tive of  the  courts  of  Baden,  Bavaria,  Sweden,  and  Russia.  Not 
content  with  this,  he  offered  royal  crowns  to  Bavaria  and  Wurtem- 
berg,  and  the  German  emperor  had  to  assent  to  this  measure  in  the 
treaty  of  Presburg.  Thus  Germany  has  got  two  new  kingdoms, 
and—'"* 

"  Oh,  I  implore  you,  do  not  read  any  further, "  exclaimed  Anna, 
suddenly  interrupting  her  "husband.  "  It  frightens  me  to  hear  you 
repeat  those  threatening  and  angry  words  ;  they  fall  upon  my  heart 
like  a  terrible  accusation  against  you  1  Believe  me,  my  beloved,  if 
that  proud  and  ambitious  Emperor  Napoleon  should  hear  of  this  ter- 
rible pamphlet — if  its  contents  should  be  communicated  to  him,  you 
would  be  lost ;  for,  having  no  one  else  on  whom  to  wreak  his 
vengeance,  he  would  revenge  himself  on  you  !" 

"But  he  will  not  have  me  either,"  said  Palm,  smiling,  "for  I 
*From  the  celebrated  pamphlet,  "Germany  in  her  Deepest  Degradation." 


466  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

shall  take  good  care  not  to  set  foot  on  French  territory  ;  I  shall  not 
leave  Nuremberg,  and  thank  God,  that  is  German  territory. " 

"  But  the  French  frontier  is  close  to  us,  for  wherever  there  are 
French  troops  there  is  France.  Napoleon's  arm  reaches  far  beyond 
her  frontiers,  and  if  he  wants  to  seize  you  he  will  do  so  in  spite  of 
all  boundary -posts,  German  laws,  and  your  own  citizenship. " 

"  There  is  really  something  so  convincing  in  your  fears  that  it 
might  almost  infect  me!"  said  Palm,  musingly.  "It  would  have 
been  better,  perhaps,  after  all,  for  me  not  to  have  come  back,  but  to 
remain  in  Prussian  Erlangen  !" 

"  Return  thither, "  exclaimed  Anna,  imploringly  ;  "  I  beseech  you 
by  our  love,  by  our  children,  and  by  our  happiness,  return  to 
Erlangen !" 

"  To-morrow,  dearest  Anna !"  said  Palm,  smiling,  clasping  his 
young  wife  in  his  arms — "  to-morrow  it  will  be  time  enough  to  think 
of  another  separation.  Now  let  me  take  a  few  hours'  rest,  and 
enjoy  the  unutterable  happiness  of  being  at  home  again  ! — at  home 
with  my  wife  and  with  my  dear  little  ones  1" 


CHAPTER    LVI. 

THE  ARREST. 

ON  the  following  morning  the  rumor  spread  all  over  Nuremberg, 
that  Palm,  the  bookseller,  had  returned  and  was  concealed  in  his 
house.  The  cook  had  stated  this  in  the  strictest  confidence  to  some 
of  her  friends  when  she  had  appeared  on  the  market-place  to  pur- 
chase some  vegetables.  The  friends  had  communicated  the  news, 
of  course,  likewise  in  the  strictest  confidence,  to  other  persons,  and 
thus  the  whole  city  became  very  soon  aware  of  the  secret. 

The  friends  of  the  family  now  hastened  to  go  to  Mrs.  Palm  for 
the  purpose  of  ascertaining  from  herself  whether  the  information 
were  true.  Anna  denied  it,  however  ;  she  asserted  she  had  received 
this  very  morning  a  letter  written  by  her  husband  at  Erlangen  ;  but 
when  one  of  the  more  importunate  friends  requested  her  to  commu- 
nicate the  contents  of  the  letter  to  him,  or  let  him  see  it  at  least,  she 
became  embarrassed  and  made  an  evasive  reply. 

"He  is  here!"  whispered  the  friends  to  each  other,  when  they 
left  Mrs.  Anna  Palm.  "He  is  here,  but  conceals  himself  so  that  the 
French  spies  who  have  been  sneaking  around  here  for  the  last  few 
days  may  not  discover  his  whereabouts.  It  is  prudent  for  him  to  do 
so,  and  we  will  not  betray  him,  but  faithfully  keep  his  secret." 

But  a  secret  of  which  a  whole  city  is  aware,  and  which  is  being 


THE  ARREST.  467 

talked  of  by  all  the  gossips  in  town,  is  difficult  to  keep,  and  it  is 
useless  to  make  any  effort  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  it  from 
being  betrayed  to  the  enemy. 

Palm  did  not  suspect  any  thing  whatever  of  what  was  going  on. 
He  deemed  himself  entirely  safe  in  his  wife's  peaceful,  silent  room, 
the  windows  of  which,  opening  upon  the  garden,  were  inaccessible 
to  spying  eyes,  while  its  only  door  led  to  the  large  store  where  his 
two  clerks  were  attending  to  the  business  of  the  firm  and  waiting  on 
the  customers  who  ordered  or  purchased  books  of  them. 

Anna  had  just  left  the  room  to  consult  with  her  servants  about 
the  affairs  of  the  household  and  kitchen  ;  and  Palm,  who  was  com- 
fortably stretched  out  on  the  sofa,  was  engaged  in  reading.  The 
anxiety  which  had  rendered  him  so  restless  during  the  previous  days 
had  left  him  again ;  he  felt  perfectly  reassured,  and  smiled  at  his 
own  fear  which  had  flitted  past  him  like  a  threatening  cloud. 

All  at  once  he  was  startled  from  his  comfortable  repose  by  a  loud 
conversation  in  the  store,  and  rose  from  the  divan  in  order  to  hear 
what  was  the  matter. 

"I  tell  you  I  am  unable  to  assist  you,"  he  heard  his  book-keeper 
say.  "  I  am  poor  myself,  and  Mr.  Palm  is  not  at  home. " 

"  Mr.  Palm  is  at  home,  and  I  implore  you  let  me  see  him, "  said  a 
strange,  supplicating  voice.  "  He  has  a  generous  heart  and  if  I  tell 
him  of  my  distress  he  will  pity  me  and  lend  me  his  assistance. " 

"  Come  back  in  a  few  days,  then, "  exclaimed  the  book-keeper ; 
"Mr.  Palm  will  then  be  back,  perhaps,  from  his  journey. " 

"In  a  few  days!"  ejaculated  the  strange  voice — "in  a  few  days 
my  wife  and  child  will  be  starved  to  death,  for  unless  I  am  able  to 
procure  relief  within  this  hour,  my  cruel  creditor  will  have  me  taken 
to  the  debtors'  prison,  and  I  shall  be  unable  then  to  assist  my  sick 
wife  and  baby.  Oh,  have  mercy  on  my  distress !  Let  me  see  Mr. 
Palm,  that  I  may  implore  his  assistance !" 

"  Mr.  Palm  is  not  at  home  as  I  told  you  already, "  exclaimed  the 
book-keeper  in  an  angry  voice.  "  How  am  I  to  let  you  see  him, 
then  ?  Come  back  in  a  few  days — that  is  the  only  advice  I  can  give 
you.  Go  now,  and  do  not  disturb  me  any  longer !" 

"  No,  people  shall  never  say  that  I  turned  a  despairing  man  away 
from  my  door, "  muttered  Palm,  rapidly  crossing  the  room  and  open- 
ing the  door  of  the  store. 

"  Stay,  poor  man, "  he  said  to  the  beggar,  who  had  already  turned 
around  and  was  about  to  leave  the  store — "  stay. " 

The  beggar  turned  around,  and,  on  perceiving  Palm,  who  stood 
on  the  threshold  of  the  door,  uttered  a  joyful  cry. 

"  Do  you  see, "  he  said,  triumphantly  to  the  book-keeper — "  do  you 
eee  that  I  was  right?  Mr.  Palm  is  at  home,  and  will  help  me." 


468  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  I  will  help  you  if  I  can, "  said  Palm,  kindly.  "  What  does  your 
debt  amount  to?" 

"Ah,  Mr.  Palm,  I  owe  my  landlord  a  quarter's  rent,  amounting 
to  twenty  florins.  But  if  you  should  be  so  generous  as  to  give  me 
half  that  sum,  it  would  be  enough,  for  the  landlord  has  promised  to 
wait  three  months,  provided  I  paid  him  now  ten  florins. " 

"  You  shall  have  the  ten  florins, "  said  Palm.  "  Mr.  Bertram,  pay 
this  man  ten  florins,  and  charge  them  to  me. " 

"Oh,  Mr.  Palm,  how  kind  you  are !"  exclaimed  the  beggar,  joy- 
fully. "  How  shall  I  ever  be  able  to  thank  you  for  what  you  have 
done  for  me  to-day?" 

"  Thank  me  by  being  industrious  and  making  timely  provision 
for  your  wife  and  child,  in  order  not  to  be  again  reduced  to  such 
distress, "  said  Palm,  nodding  kindly  to  the  stranger,  and  returning 
to  the  adjoining  room. 

With  the  ten  florins  which  the  book-keeper  had  paid  to  him,  the 
beggar  hastened  into  the  street.  No  sooner  had  he  left  the  threshold 
of  Palm's  house  than  the  melancholy  and  despairing  air  disappeared 
from  his  face,  which  now  assumed  a  scornful  and  malicious  mien. 
With  hasty  steps  he  hurried  over  to  St.  Sebald's  church,  to  the  pillar 
yonder,  behind  which  two  men,  wrapped  in  their  cloaks,  were  to 
be  seen. 

"  Mr.  Palm  is  at  home, "  said  the  beggar,  grinning.  "  Go  into  the 
store,  cross  it  and  enter  the  adjoining  sitting-room — there  you  will 
find  him.  I  have  spied  it  out  for  you,  and  now  give  me  my 
pay." 

"  First  we  must  know  whether  you  have  told  us  the  truth, "  said 
one  of  the  men.  "  It  may  be  all  false. " 

"  But  I  tell  you  I  have  seen  him  with  my  own  eyes, "  replied  the 
beggar.  "  I  stood  in  the  store,  and  cried  and  lamented  in  the  most 
heart-rending  manner,  and  protested  solemnly  that  my  wife  and 
baby  would  be  starved  to  death,  unless  Mr.  Palm  should  assist  me. 
The  book-keeper  refused  my  application,  but  then  I  cried  only  the 
louder,  so  as  to  be  heard  by  Mr.  Palm.  And  he  did  hear  me ;  he 
came  out  of  his  hiding-place  and  gave  me  the  ten  florins  I  asked  him 
for.  Here  they  are. " 

"  Well,  if  you  have  got  ten  florins,  that  is  abundant  pay  for  your 
treachery,"  said  the  two  men.  "It  is  Judas-money.  To  betray 
your  benefactor,  who  has  just  made  you  a  generous  present ;  for- 
sooth, only  a  German  could  do  that. " 

They  turned  their  backs  contemptuously  on  the  beggar,  and 
\ralked  across  the  street  toward  Palm's  house. 

There  was  nobody  in  the  hall,  and  the  two  men  entered  the  store 
without  being  hindered.  Without  replying  to  the  book-keeper  and 


THE  ARREST.  469 

second  clerk,  who  came  to  meet  them  for  the  purpose  of  receiving 
their  orders,  they  put  off  their  cloaks. 

"French  gens-d' armes,"  muttered  the  book-keeper,  turning  pale, 
and  he  advanced  a  few  steps  toward  the  door  of  the  sitting-room. 
One  of  the  gens-d' armes  kept  him  back. 

"Both  of  you  will  stay  here,"  he  said,  imperiously,  "tve  are 
going  to  enter  that  room.  Utter  the  faintest  sound,  the  slightest 
warning,  and  we  shall  arrest  both  of  you.  Be  silent,  therefore,  and 
let  us  do  our  duty. " 

The  two  clerks  dared  not  stir,  and  saw  with  silent  dismay  that 
the  two  gens-d' armes  approached  the  door  of  the  sitting-room  and 
hastily  opened  it. 

Then  they  heard  a  few  imperious  words,  followed  by  a  loud  cry 
of  despair. 

"Oh,  the  poor  woman  !"  muttered  the  book-keeper,  with  quiver- 
ing lips,  but  without  moving  from  the  spot. 

The  door  of  the  sitting-room,  which  the  gens-d' armes  had  closed, 
opened  again,  and  the  two  policemen  stepped  into  the  store ;  they 
led  Palm  into  it.  Each  of  them  had  seized  one  of  his  arms. 

Palm  looked  pale,  and  his  brow  was  clouded,  but  nevertheless  he 
walked  forward  like  a  man  who  is  determined  not  to  be  crushed  by 
his  misfortunes,  but  to  bear  them  as  manfully  as  possible. 

When  he  arrived  in  the  middle  of  the  store,  near  the  table  where 
his  two  clerks  were  standing,  he  stopped. 

"Then  you  will  not  give  me  half  an  hour's  time  to  arrange  my 
business  affairs  with  my  book-keeper,  and  to  give  him  my  orders?" 
he  asked  the  policemen,  who  wanted  to  drag  him  forward. 

"No,  not  a  minute,"  they  said.  "We  have  received  stringent 
orders  to  take  you  at  once  to  the  general,  and  if  you  should  refuse 
to  follow  us  willingly,  to  iron  you  and  remove  you  forcibly." 

"You  see  I  offer  no  resistance  whatever,"  said  Palm,  contemptu- 
ously. "Let  us  go.  Bertram,  pray  look  after  my  wife — she  has 
fainted.  Remember  me  to  her  and  to  my  children.  Farewell !" 

The  two  young  men  made  no  reply ;  their  tears  choked  their 
voices.  But  when  Palm  had  disappeared,  they  rushed  into  the  sit- 
ting-room to  assist  the  unhappy  young  wife. 

She  was  lying  on  the  floor,  pale,  rigid,  and  resembling  a  lily 
broken  by  the  storm.  Her  eyes  were  half  opened  and  dim ;  the 
long  braids  of  her  beautiful  light-colored  hair,  which  she  had  just 
been  engaged  in  arranging  when  the  gens-d' armes  entered,  fell  down 
dishevelled  and  like  curling  snakes  on  her  face  and  shoulders,  from 
which  the  small,  transparent,  gauze  handkerchief  had  been  removed. 
Her  features,  always  so  lovely  and  gentle,  bore  now  an  expression 
of  anger  and  horror,  which  they  had  assumed  when  she  fainted  on 


470  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

hearing  the  French  policemen  tell  her  husband  that  they  had  come 
to  arrest  him,  and  that  he  must  follow  them. 

They  succeeded  only  after  long  efforts  in  bringing  her  back  to 
consciousness.  But  she  was  not  restored  to  life  by  the  salts  which 
her  servant-girl  rubbed  on  her  forehead,  nor  by  the  imploring  words 
of  the  book-keeper,  but  by  the  scalding  tears  of  her  little  girls  which 
melted  and  warmed  her  frozen  blood  again. 

She  raised  herself  with  a  deep  sigh,  and  her  wild,  frightened 
glances  wandered  about  the  room,  and  fixed  themselves  searchingly 
on  every  form  which  she  beheld  in  it.  When  she  had  satisfied  her- 
self that  lie  was  not  among  them,  lie  whom  her  glances  had  sought 
for  so  anxiously,  she  clasped  her  children  with  a  loud  cry  of  horror 
in  her  arms  and  pressing  them  convulsively  against  her  bosom, 
sobbed  piteously. 

But  she  did  not  long  give  way  to  her  grief  and  despair.  She 
dried  her  tears  hastily  and  rose. 

"  It  is  no  time  now  for  weeping  and  lamenting, "  she  said,  draw- 
ing a  deep  breath ;  "  I  shall  have  time  enough  for  that  afterward, 
now  I  must  act  and  see  whether  I  cannot  assist  him.  Do  you  know 
whither  they  have  taken  him?" 

"  To  the  headquarters  of  Colomb,  the  French  general,  who  is  sta- 
tioned in  this  city, "  said  the  book-keeper. 

"  I  shall  go  to  the  general,  and  he  will  have  to  tell  me  at  least  if  I 
cannot  see  my  husband  in  his  prison, "  she  said,  resolutely.  "  Quick, 
Kate,  assist  me  in  dressing ;  arrange  my  hair,  for  you  see  my  hands 
are  trembling  violently  ;  they  are  weaker  than  my  heart. " 

She  rose  to  go  to  her  dressing-room.  But  her  feet  refused  to  serve 
her ;  she  turned  dizzy,  and  sank  down  overcome  by  a  fresh  swoon. 

It  was  only  after  hours  of  the  most  violent  efforts  that  the  poor 
young  wife  succeeded  in  recovering  from  the  physical  prostration 
caused  by  her  sudden  fright,  and  in  becoming  again  able  to  act  reso- 
lutely and  energetically.  Then,  as  bold  and  courageous  as  an  angry 
lioness,  she  was  determined  to  struggle  with  the  whole  world  for 
the  beloved  husband  who  had  been  torn  from  her. 


CHAPTER    LVII. 

A  WIFE'S  LOVE. 

ANNA  went  in  the  first  place  to  General  Colomb,  and  begged  him 
to  grant  her  an  interview. 

About  four  hours  had  passed  since  Palm's  arrest  when  the  general 
received  her. 


A  WIFE'S  LOVE.  471 

"  Madame, "  he  said,  "  I  know  why  you  have  come  to  me  ?  you  are 
looking  for  your  husband,  but  he  is  no  longer  here  at  my  head- 
quarters. " 

"  No  longer  here  ?"  she  ejaculated  in  terror.  "  You  have  sent  him 
to  France?  You  intend  to  kill  him,  then?" 

"The  law  will  judge  him,  madame, "  said  the  general,  sternly. 
"I  have  myself  examined  him  and  requested  him  to  give  us  the 
name  of  the  author  of  this  infamous  libel  which  Mr.  Palm  has 
brought  into  general  circulation.  Had  he  done  so,  he  would  no 
longer  be  held  responsible,  and  would  have  been  at  liberty  to  return 
to  his  house  and  to  you.  But  he  refused  firmly  to  state  the  names 
of  the  author  and  printer  of  the  pamphlet. " 

"  He  does  not  know  either  !"  exclaimed  Anna ;  "  oh,  believe  me, 
sir,  Palm  is  innocent.  That  pamphlet  was  sent  to  him,  together 
with  an  anonymous  letter. " 

"  He  ought  to  have  taken  care,  then,  not  to  circulate  it, "  replied 
the  general.  "  It  is  contrary  to  law  to  circulate  a  printed  book,  the 
author  and  printer  of  which  are  unknown  to  him  who  circulates  it. " 

"  No,  general,  it  is  not  contrary  to  the  laws  of  the  German  free 
city  of  Nuremberg.  By  an  order  of  the  Emperor  of  France,  Nurem- 
berg has  been  given  to  Bavaria,  but  the  laws  and  privileges  of  our 
more  liberal  constitution  were  guaranteed  to  our  ancient  free  city. 
Hence,  Palm  has  done  nothing  contrary  to  law. " 

"  We  judge  according  to  our  laws, "  said  the  general,  shrugging 
his  shoulders  ;  "  wherever  we  are  there  is  France,  and  wherever  we 
are  insulted  we  hold  him  who  insults  us  responsible  for  it,  and  pun- 
ish him  according  to  our  laws.  Your  husband  has  committed  a 
great  crime  ;  he  has  circulated  a  pamphlet  reviling  France  and  the 
Emperor  of  the  French  in  the  most  outrageous  manner.  He  refused 
to  mention  the  author  of  this  pamphlet ;  so  long  as  he  persists  in  bis 
refusal,  we  take  him  for  the  author,  and  shall  punish  him  accord- 
ingly. As  he  declined  confessing  any  thing  to  me,  I  have  surren- 
dered him  to  my  superiors.  Mr.  Palm  left  Nuremberg  two  hours 
ago  for  Anspach,  where  Marshal  Bernadotte  is  going  to  judge  him." 

"  Then  I  shall  go  to  Anspach,  to  Marshal  Bernadotte, "  said  Anna ; 
and  without  deigning  to  cast  another  glance  at  the  general,  she 
turned  around  and  left  the  room. 

She  intended  to  set  out  this  very  hour,  but  her  endeavors  to  find 
a  conveyance  to  take  her  to  Anspach  proved  unavailing.  All  the 
horses  of  the  postmaster  had  been  retained  for  the  suite  and  baggage- 
wagons  of  Marshal  Berthier,  who  was  about  setting  out  for  Munich, 
and  the  proprietors  of  the  livery-stables,  owing  to  the  approaching 
darkness  and  insecurity  of  the  roads,  refused  to  let  her  have  any 
of  their  carriages. 


472  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Anna  had  to  wait,  therefore,  until  morning,  and  improved  the 
long  hours  of  the  night  in  drawing  up  a  petition,  which  she  intended 
to  send  to  Marshal  Bernadotte,  in  case  he  should  refuse  to  grant  her 
an  interview. 

Early  next  morning  she  at  length  started,  but  the  roads  were 
sandy  and  bad ;  the  horses  were  lazy  and  weak,  and  she  reached 
Anspach  only  late  at  night. 

She  had- again  to  wait  during  a  long,  dreary  night.  No  one 
could  or  would  reply  to  her  anxious  inquiries  whether  Palm  was 
really  there,  or  whether  he  had  been  again  sent  to  some  other  place. 

Trembling  with  inward  fear  and  dismay,  but  firmly  determined 
to  dare  every  thing,  and  leave  nothing  untried  that  might  lead  to 
Palm's  preservation,  Anna  repaired  in  the  morning  to  the  residence 
of  Marshal  Bernadotte. 

The  marshal's  adjutant  received  her,  and  asked  her  what  she 
wanted. 

"I  must  see  the  marshal  himself,  for  I  shall  read  in  his  mien 
whether  he  will  pardon  or  annihilate  my  husband, "  said  Anna.  "  I 
beseech  you,  sir,  have  mercy  on  the  grief  of  a  wife,  trembling  for 
the  father  of  her  children.  Induce  the  marshal  to  grant  me  an 
auidence. " 

"  I  will  see  what  can  be  done, "  said  the  adjutant,  touched  by  the 
despair  depicted  on  the  pale  face  of  the  poor  lady.  But  he  returned 
in  a  few  minutes  after  he  had  left  her. 

"Madame,"  he  said,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  "I  am  sorry,  but 
your  wish  cannot  be  fulfilled.  The  marshal  will  have  nothing  what- 
ever to  do  with  this  affair,  and  declines  interfering  in  it.  For  this 
reason,  too,  he  did  not  admit  Mr.  Palm,  who  yesterday,  like  you, 
applied  for  an  interview  with  the  marshal,  and  I  had  to  receive  him 
in  the  place  of  the  marshal,  as  I  have  now  the  honor  to  receive  you. " 

"Oh,  you  have  seen  my  husband?"  asked  Anna,  almost  joyfully. 
"You  have  spoken  to  him?" 

"  I  have  told  him  in  the  name  of  the  marshal  what  I  am  now  tell- 
ing you,  madame.  The  marshal  is  unable  to  do  any  thing  whatever  for 
your  husband.  The  order  for  his  arrest  came  directly  from  Paris, 
from  the  emperor's  cabinet,  and  the  marshal,  therefore,  has  not  the 
power  to  revoke  it  and  to  prevent  the  law  from  taking  its  course. 
Moreover,  Mr.  Palm  is  no  longer  in  Anspach,  as  he  was  sent  to 
another  place  last  night. " 

"Whither?  Oh,  sir,  you  will  have  mercy  on  me,  and  tell  me 
whither  my  unfortunate  husband  has  been  sent. " 

"Madame,"  said  the  adjutant,  timidly  looking  around  as  if  he 
were  afraid  of  being  overheard  by  an  eavesdropper,  "he  has  been 
sent  to  Braunau. " 


A  WIFE'S  LOVE.  473 

Anna  uttered  a  cry  of  horror.  "  To  Braunau !"  she  said,  breath- 
lessly. "  To  Braunau,  that  is  to  say,  out  of  the  country.  You  do 
not  wish  to  try  a  citizen  and  subject  of  Bavaria,  for  a  crime  which 
he  is  said  to  have  committed  in  his  own  country,  according  to  the  laws 
of  Bavaria,  but  according  to  those  of  a  foreign  and  hostile  state? 
My  husband  has  been  sent  to  Austria  !" 

"  Pardon  me,  madame, "  said  the  adjutant,  smiling,  "  the  city  of 
Braunau  does  not  yet  again  belong  to  Austria ;  up  to  the  present 
hour  it  is  still  French  territory,  for  we  took  and  occupied  it  during 
the  war  and  have  not  yet  given  it  back  to  Austria  ;  hence,  Mr.  Palm 
will  be  tried  in  Braunau  according  to  the  laws  of  France." 

"  Oh,  then  he  is  lost, "  exclaimed  Anna,  in  despair ;  "  there  is  no 
more  hope  for  him. " 

"  If  he  be  guilty,  madame,  he  has  deserved  punishment ;  if  he  be 
innocent,  no  harm  can  befall  him,  for  the  laws  of  France  are  impar- 
tial and  just. " 

"  Oh,  sir, "  said  Anna,  almost  haughtily,  "  there  are  things  which 
may  seem  deserving  of  punishment,  nay,  criminal,  according  to  the 
laws  of  your  country,  but  which,  according  to  the  laws  of  a  German 
state,  would  not  deserve  any  punishment,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
praise  and  acknowledgment. " 

"  If  what  Mr.  Palm  has  done  is  an  offence  of  this  description,  I 
am  sorry  for  him,"  said  the  adjutant,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 
, "  he  added,  in  a  lower  voice,  "I  will  give  you  some  good  ad- 
vice. Hasten  to  the  French  ambassador  at  Munich.  If  he  should 
decline  granting  you  an  audience,  send  him  a  petition,  stating  the 
case)  of  your  husband  truthfully  and  with  full  details,  and  asking 
for  his  intercession. " 

"  And  if  he  should  not  reply  to  my  petition  ;  if  he  should  refuse 
to  intercede  for  me?" 

"  Then  a  last  remedy  will  remain  to  you.  In  that  case,  apply  to 
Marshal  Berthier,  who  is  now  also  at  Munich.  He  has  great  power 
over  the  emperor,  and  will  alone  be  able  to  help  you.  But  lose  no 
time. " 

"I  shall  set  out  this  very  hour,  sir,  and  I  thank  3-011  for  your  ad- 
vice and  sympathy.  I  see  very  well  that  you  cannot  do  any  thing 
for  me,  but  you  have  granted  me  your  compassion,  and  1  thank  you 
for  it.  Farewell,  sir." 

An  hour  later,  Anna  was  on  the  road  to  Munich.  After  an  ex- 
hausting journey  of  four  days — for,  at  that  time  there  were  no  turn- 
pikes, much  less  railroads,  in  Bavaria — she  reached  Munich,  where 
she  stopped  at  a  hotel. 

She  was  utterly  unacquainted  in  that  capital ;  she  had  uo  friends, 
no  protectors,  no  recommendations,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  all 


474  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

doors  were  closed  against  her,  and  nobody  would  listen  to  her.  No- 
body felt  pity  for  the  poor,  despairing  lady ;  nobody  would  listen  to 
her  complaints,  for  her  complaints  were  at  the  same  time  charged 
against  the  all-powerful  man  who  now  held  his  hand  stretched  out 
over  Bavaria,  and  was  able  to  crush  her  whenever  he  chose  to  do  so. 

Anna,  therefore,  met  with  no  encouragement  at  the  hands  of  the 
German  authorities,  who  even  refused  to  hear  a  statement  of  her 
application.  She  went  to  all  the  ministers,  to  all  those  on  whom, 
according  to  their  official  position,  it  would  have  been  incumbent 
to  intercede  for  her.  She  even  ventured  to  enter  the  royal  palace, 
and  stood  for  hours  in  the  anteroom,  always  hoping  that  her  sup- 
plications would  be  heeded,  and  that  some  door  would  be  opened  to 
her. 

But  all  doors  were  closed  against  her,  even  that  of  the  French 
ambassador.  She  had  vainly  applied  to  him  for  an  audience  ;  when 
her  request  had  been  refused,  she  had  delivered  to  his  attacJiA  a  peti- 
tion which  an  attorney  had  drawn  up  for  her,  and  in  which  all  the 
points  for  and  against  Palm  were  lucidly  stated.  For  a  week  she 
waited  for  a  reply  ;  for  a  week  she  went  every  morning  to  the  resi- 
dence of  the  French  ambassador  and  asked  in  the  same  gentle  and 
imploring  voice,  whether  there  was  any  reply  for  her,  and  whether 
no  answer  had  been  returned  to  her  application  ? 

On  the  eighth  day  she  was  informed  that  no  reply  would  be  made 
to  her  petition,  and  that  the  French  ambassador  was  unable  to  do 
any  thing  for  her. 

Anna  did  not  weep  and  complain  ;  she  received  this  information 
with  the  gentle  calmness  of  a  martyr,  and  prayed  instead  of  burst- 
ing into  lamentations.  She  prayed  to  God  that  He  might  grant  her 
strength  not  to  despair,  not  to  succumb  to  the  stunning  blow ;  she 
prayed  to  God  that  He  might  impart  vigor  to  her  body,  so  that  it 
might  not  prevent  her  from  doing  her  duty,  and  from  seeking  for 
further  assistance  for  her  beloved  husband. 

Strengthened  and  inwardly  relieved  by  this  prayer,  Anna  now 
repaired  to  the  residence  of  Marshal  Berth ier ;  her  step,  however, 
was  slower,  a  deep  blush  mantled  her  cheeks,  which  had  hithero 
been  so  pale,  and  her  hands  were  no  longer  icy  cold,  but  hot  and  red. 

She  did  not  apply  for  an  audience  on  reaching  the  marshal's  resi- 
dence, for  she  already  knew  that  such  an  application  would  meet 
with  a  refusal ;  she  only  took  thither  another  copy  of  the  petition 
which  she  had  delivered  to  the  French  ambassador,  and  begged 
urgently  for  an  early  reply. 

Her  supplications  were  this  time  not  destined  to  be  unsuccessful, 
and  she  received  a  reply  on  the  third  day. 

But  this  reply  was  even  more  terrible  than  if  none  whatever  had 


A  WIFE'S  LOVE.  475 

been  made.  Marshal  Berthier  sent  word  to  her  by  his  adjutant 
that  Palm  had  been  placed  before  a  court-martial  at  Braunau,  and 
that  no  intercession  and  prayers  would  be  of  any  avail,  the  decision 
being  exclusively  left  with  the  court-martial. 

A  single,  piercing  cry  escaped  from  Anna's  breast  when  she  re- 
ceived this  information.  Then  she  became  again  calm  and  com- 
posed. Without  uttering  another  complaint,  another  prayer,  she 
left  the  marshal's  residence  and  returned  to  her  hotel. 

With  perfect  equanimity  and  coolness,  she  requested  the  waiter 
to  bring  her  the  bill  and  get  her  a  carriage,  so  that  she  might  sefc 
out  at  once. 

Fifteen  minutes  later,  the  landlady  herself  appeared  to  present  to 
Madame  Palm  the  bill  she  had  called  for.  She  found  Anna  sitting 
quietly  at  the  window,  her  hands  folded  on  her  lap,  her  head  lean- 
ing on  the  high  back  of  the  chair,  and  her  dilated  eyes  staring  va- 
cantly at  the  sky.  Her  small  travelling-trunk  stood  ready  and  locked 
in  the  middle  of  the  room. 

The  landlady  handed  her  the  paper  silently,  and  then  turned 
aside  in  order  not  to  show  the  tears  which,  at  the  sight  of  the  pale, 
gentle  young  wife,  had  filled  her  eyes. 

Anna  rose  and  quietly  placed  the  money  on  the  table.  "  I  thank 
you,  madame,  for  all  the  attention  and  kindness  I  have  met  with  at 
your  house, "  she  said.  "  It  only  seems  to  me  that  my  bill  is  much 
too  moderate.  You  must  have  omitted  many  items,  for  it  is  impos- 
sible that  I  should  not  have  used  up  any  more  than  that  during  my 
prolonged  sojourn  in  Munich. " 

"  Madame, "  said  the  landlady,  deeply  moved,  "  I  should  be  happy 
if  you  permitted  me  to  take  no  money  at  all  from  you,  but  I  know 
that  that  would  offend  you,  and  for  that  reason  I  brought  you  my 
bill.  If  you  allow  me  to  follow  the  promptings  of  my  heart,  I 
should  say,  grant  me  the  honor  of  having  afforded  hospitality  to  so 
noble,  brave,  and  faithful  a  lady,  and,  if  you  should  consent,  I 
should  be  courageous  enough  to  utter  a  request  which  I  dare  not 
make  now,  because  you  would  deem  it  egotistic. " 

"  Oh,  tell  me  what  it  is, "  said  Anna,  mildly ;  "  for  the  last  two 
weeks  I  have  begged  so  much,  and  my  requests  were  so  often  refused, 
that  it  would  truly  gratify  me  to  hear  from  others  a  request  which 
I  might  be  able  to  fulfil. " 

"Well,  then,  madame,"  said  the  landlady,  taking  Anna's  hand 
and  kissing  it  respectfully,  "  I  request  you  to  stay  here  and  not  to 
depart.  Afford  me  the  pleasure  of  keeping  you  here  in  my  house, 
of  taking  care  and  nursing  you  as  a  mother  would  nurse  her  daugh- 
ter. I  am  old  enough  to  be  your  mother,  and  you,  my  poor,  beloved 
child,  you  need  nursing,  for  you  are  sick. " 

MUHLBACU— U 


476  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

"  I  feel  no  pain — I  am  not  sick, "  said  Anna,  with  a  smile  which 
was  more  heart-rending  than  loud  lamentations. 

"  You  are  sick, "  replied  the  landlady  ;  "  your  liands  are  burning 
with  fever,  and  the  roses  blooming  on  your  cheeks  are  not  natural, 
but  symptoms  of  your  inward  sufferings.  During  your  whole 
sojourn  in  my  house  you  have  scarcely  touched  the  food  that  was 
placed  before  you ;  frequently  you  have  not  gone  to  bed  at  night, 
and,  instead  of  sleeping,  restlessly  paced  your  room.  A  fever  is 
now  raging  in  your  delicate  body,  and  if  you  do  not  take  care  of 
yourself,  and  use  medicine,  your  body  will  succumb." 

"  No,  it  will  not  succumb, "  said  Anna ;  "  my  heart  will  sustain 
it." 

"  But  your  heart,  too,  will  break,  if  you  do  not  take  care  of  your- 
self, "  exclaimed  the  landlady,  compassionately.  "  Stay  here,  I  be- 
seech you,  do  not  depart.  Stay  as  a  guest  at  my  house  !" 

Anna  placed  her  burning  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  landlady, 
and  looked  at  her  long  and  tenderly. 

"You  were  married?"  she  asked.     "You  loved  your  husband?" 

"  Yes, "  said  the  landlady,  bursting  into  tears,  "  I  was  married, 
and  God  knows  that  I  loved  my  husband.  For  twenty  years  we  lived 
happy  and  peacefully  together,  and  when  he  died  last  year,  my 
whole  happiness  died  with  him. " 

"  He  was  sick,  I  suppose,  and  you  nursed  him  ?" 

"  He  was  sick  for  a  month,  and  I  did  not  leave  his  bedside  either 
by  day  or  by  night. " 

"Well,  then,  what  would  you  have  replied  to  him  who  would 
have  tried  to  keep  you  back  from  your  husband's  death-bed,  and  to 
persuade  you  to  leave  him  in  his  agony,  because  it  might  have  in- 
jured your  health?  Would  you  have  listened  to  him?" 

"  No,  I  should  have  believed  him,  who  had  made  such  a  proposi- 
tion to  me,  to  be  my  enemy,  and  should  have  replied  to  him  :  '  It  is 
my  sacred  right  to  stand  at  my  husband's  death-bed,  to  kiss  the  last 
sigh  from  his  lips,  to  close  his  eyes,  and  no  one  in  the  world  shall 
prevent  me  from  doing  so !'" 

"  Well,  then,  dear  mother,  I  say  as  you  have  said  :  it  is  my  sacred 
right  to  stand  at  my  husband's  death-bed  and  to  close  his  eyes.  My 
husband's  death-bed  is  in  Braunau  ;  I  am  not  so  happy  as  you  have 
been  ;  I  cannot  nurse  him,  nor  be  with  him  and  comfort  him  in  his 
agony ;  but  I  am  able,  at  least,  to  see  him  in  his  last  hour.  My 
mother,  will  you  still  ask  your  daughter  to  stay  here  and  take  care 
of  her  health,  instead  of  going  to  her  husband's  death- bed  in 
Braunau?" 

"  No,  my  daughter, "  exclaimed  the  landlady,  "  no  ;  I  say  to  you, 
go !  Take  not  a  minute's  rest  until  you  reach  your  husband.  God 


THE  WOMEN  OF  BRAUNAU.  477 

will  guide  and  protect  you,  for  He  is  love,  and  has  mercy  on  those 
whose  heart  are  filled  with  love !  Go,  then,  with  God  ;  but,  for  the 
sake  of  your  husband,  take  some  nourishing  food ;  try  to  eat  and 
sleep,  so  as  to  gain  fresh  strength,  for  you  will  need  it. " 

"  Give  me  some  nourishing  food,  mother,  I  will  eat, "  said  Anna, 
placing  her  arms  tenderly  around  the  landlady's  neck  ;  "I  will  try 
also  to-night  to  sleep,  for  you  are  right:  I  shall  need  my  whole 
strength  !  But  after  I  have  eaten,  I  may  set  out  at  once,  may  I  not?" 

"  Yes,  my  poor,  dear  child,  then  you  may  set  out.  Now  come  to 
my  room — your  meal  is  already  waiting  for  you. " 

Half  an  hour  later  the  landlady  herself  lifted  Anna  into  the  car- 
riage, and  said  to  her  in  a  voice  trembling  with  tearful  emotion : 
"Farewell,  my  daughter.  God  bless  you  and  grant  you  strength. 
When  alone  one  day,  and  in  need  of  a  mother,  then  come  to  me ! 
May  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  you !" 

"Yes,  may  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  me,  and  let  me  die  with 
him  !"  whispered  Anna,  as  the  carriage  rolled  away  with  her. 

At  noon  on  the  following  day,  August  26th,  1806,  she  arrived  at 
Braunau. 


CHAPTER  LVIII. 

THE  WOMEN  OF  BRAUNAU. 

IN  the  mean  time  Palm  had  constantly  been  in  the  French  prison 
at  Braunau.  During  the  sixteen  days  since  he  had  been  in  jail,  he 
had  only  twice  been  taken  out  of  it  to  be  examined  by  the  court- 
martial,  which  General  St.  Hilaire  had  specially  convoked  for  his 
trial. 

This  court-martial  consisted  of  French  generals  and  staff-officers ; 
it  met  at  a  time  of  peace  in  a  German  city,  and  declared  its  compe- 
tence to  try  a  German  citizen  who  had  committed  no  other  crime 
than  to  circulate  a  pamphlet,  in  which  the  misfortunes  of  Germany, 
and  the  oppressions  of  German  states  by  Napoleon  and  his  armies, 
had  been  commented  upon. 

The  whole  proceedings  had  been  carried  on  so  hastily  and  secretly, 
that  the  German  authorities  of  Braunau  had  scarcely  heard  of  them 
at  the  time  when  the  French  court-martial  was  already  about  to 
sentence  the  prisoner. 

The  French,  however,  wanted  to  maintain  some  semblance  of 
impartiality ;  and  before  Palm  was  called  before  the  court-martial, 
it  was  left  to  him  either  to  defend  himself  in  person  against  the 
charges,  or  to  provide  himself  with  counsel. 

Palm,  who  was  ignorant  of  the  French  language,  had  preferred 


478  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

the  latter,  and  selected  as  his  counsel  a  resident  lawyer  of  Braunau, 
with  whom  he  was  well  acquainted,  and  even  on  terms  of  intimacy, 
and  whom  he  knew  to  be  familiar  with  the  French  language. 

But  this  friend  declined  being  a  "  friend  in  need. "  He  excused 
himself  on  the  pretext  of  a  serious  indisposition  which  confined  him 
to  his  bed,  and  rendered  it  impossible  for  him  to  make  a  speech. 

Palm  was  informed  of  this  excuse  only  at  the  moment  when  he 
entered  the  room  in  which  the  trial  was  to  be  held ;  hence  he  had  to 
make  up  his  mind  to  conduct  his  own  defence,  and  to  have  his 
words  translated  by  an  interpreter  to  the  members  of  the  court. 

And  he  felt  convinced  that  his  defence  had  been  successful,  and 
satisfied  the  men  who  had  assumed  to  be  his  judges,  of  his  entire 
innocence. 

He  had,  therefore,  no  doubt  of  his  speedy  release ;  he  was  looking 
every  day  for  the  announcement  that  his  innocence  had  been  proved, 
and  that  he  should  be  restored  to  liberty  and  to  his  family.  This 
confident  hope  caused  him  to  bear  his  solitary  confinement  with 
joyful  courage,  and  to  look,  in  this  time  of  privations  and  pain, 
fondly  for  the  golden  days  to  come,  when  he  would  repose  again, 
after  all  his  trouble  and  toil,  in  the  arms  of  love,  gently  guarded  by 
the  tender  eyes  of  his  affectionate  young  wife,  and  his  heart  glad- 
dened by  the  sight  of  his  sweet  children. 

From  dreams  so  joyous  and  soul-stirring  he  was  awakened  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th  of  August  by  the  appearance  of  the  jailer  and 
of  several  soldiers  who  came  to  summon  him  before  the  court-mar- 
tial which  would  communicate  his  sentence  to  him. 

"God  be  praised  !"  exclaimed  Palm,  enthusiastically.  "My  sen- 
tence, that  is  to  say,  my  release.  Come,  let  us  go ;  for,  you  see,  it 
is  hot  and  oppressive  in  my  cell,  and  I  long  for  God's  fresh  air,  of 
which  I  have  been  deprived  so  long.  Let  us  go,  then,  that  I  may 
receive  the  sentence  which  I  have  so  ardently  yearned  for. " 

And  with  a  kind  smile  he  offered  his  hand  to  the  jailer  who  stood 
at  the  door  with  a  gloomy,  sullen  air.  "  Do  not  look  so  gloomy, 
Balthasar, "  he  said.  "  You  always  used  to  be  so  merry  a  companion 
and  have  often  agreeably  enlivened  the  long  and  dreary  hours  of  my 
confinement  by  your  entertaining  conversation.  Accept  my  thanks 
for  your  kindness  and  clemency  ;  you  might  have  tormented  me  a 
great  deal,  and  you  have  not  done  so,  but  have  always  been  accom- 
modating and  compassionate.  I  thank  you  for  it,  Balthasar,  and 
beg  you  to  accept  this  as  a  souvenir  from  me. " 

He  drew  a  golden  breastpin  richly  set  with  precious  stones  from 
his  cravat,  and  offered  it  to  the  jailer. 

But  Balthasar  did  not  take  it ,  on  the  contrary,  he  averted  his 
head  sullenly  and  gloomily. 


THE  WOMEN  OF  BRAUNAU.  479 

"  I  am  not  allowed  to  accept  any  presents  from  the  prisoners, "  he 
muttered. 

"Well,  then,  I  shall  come  and  see  you  as  soon  as  I  am  free,  and 
from  the  free  man,  I  suppose,  you  will  accept  a  small  souvenir?" 
asked  Palm,  kindly. 

The  jailer  made  no  reply  to  this  question,  but  exclaimed,  impa- 
tiently :  "Make  haste,  it  is  high  time  !" 

Palm  laughed,  and,  nodding  a  farewell  to  the  jailer,  left  the 
prison  in  the  midst  of  the  soldiers. 

"  Poor  man,  he  suspects  nothing, "  murmured  the  jailer  to  him- 
self, and  his  features  now  became  mild  and  gentle,  and  his  eyes 
were  filled  with  tears.  "  Poor  man,  he  believes  they  will  set  him  at 
liberty  !  Yes,  they  will  do  so,  but  it  is  not  the  sort  of  liberty  he  is 
looking  and  hoping  for !" 

Palm  followed  the  soldiers  gayly  and  courageously  to  the 
room  where  the  members  of  the  court-martial  were  assembled 
seated  on  high-backed  arm-chairs  which  had  been  placed  in  a 
semicircle  on  one  side  of  the  room,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
prisoner. 

He  greeted  them  with  an  unclouded  brow  and  frank  and  open 
bearing ;  not  a  tinge  of  fear  and  nervousness  was  to  be  seen  in  his 
features  ;  he  fixed  his  large  and  lustrous  eyes  on  the  lips  of  General 
St.  Hilaire  who  presided  over  the  court-martial  and  now  rose  from 
his  seat.  The  secretary  of  the  court  immediately  approached  the 
general  and  handed  him  a  paper. 

The  general  took  it,  and,  bending  a  stern  glance  on  Palm,  said  : 
"  The  court-martial  has  agreed  to-day  unanimously  on  your  sentence. 
I  will  now  communicate  it  to  you." 

The  other  officers  rose  from  their  seats  to  listen  standing  to  the 
reading  of  the  sentence.  It  is  true,  their  faces  were  grave,  and  for 
the  first  time  Palm  was  seized  with  a  sinister  foreboding,  and  asked 
himself  whether  his  judges  would  assume  so  grave  and  solemn  an 
air  if  they  were  merely  to  announce  to  him  that  he  was  innocent 
and  consequently  free. 

A  small  pause  ensued.  The  general  then  raised  his  voice,  and 
read  in  a  loud  and  ringing  tone  :  "  Whereas  at  all  places  where  there 
is  an  army  it  is  the  first  and  most  imperious  duty  of  its  chief  to 
watch  over  its  safety  and  preservation  ; 

"Whereas  the  circulation  of  writings  instigating  sedition  and 
murder  does  not  only  threaten  the  safety  of  the  army,  but  also  that 
of  the  nation  generally  ; 

"  WTiereas  nothing  is  more  urgent  and  necessary  than  the  preven- 
tion of  the  propagation  of  such  doctrines  which  are  a  crime  against 
the  rights  of  man  and  against  the  respect  due  to  crowned  heads— an 


480  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

insult  to  the  people  submissive  to  their  government — and,  in  short, 
subversive  of  law,  order,  and  subordination  ; 

"  The  military  commission  here  assembled  declares  unanimously 
that  all  authors  and  printers  of  libellous  books  of  the  above-named 
description,  as  well  as  booksellers  and  other  persons  engaged  in  cir 
culating  them,  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  high-treason. 

"  In  consideration  whereof  the  defendant,  John  Frederick  Palm, 
convicted  of  having  circulated  the  pamphlet,  'Germany  in  her 
Deepest  Degradation, '  has  been  charged  with  the  crime  of  high- 
treason,  and  the  commission  has  unanimously  found  him  guilty  of 
the  charge. 

"  The  penalty  incurred  by  the  traitor  is  death. 

"  Consequently  the  traitor,  John  Frederick  Palm,  will  suffer  death, 
which  sentence  will  be  carried  out  this  afternoon  at  two  o'clock, 
when  he  will  be  shot. "  * 

"  John  Frederick  Palm, "  added  the  general,  "  you  have  heard  your 
sentence,  prepare  for  death  !" 

The  interpreter  repeated  to  the  unhappy  prisoner  the  sentence  of 
the  court-martial  slowly,  impressively,  and  emphasizing  every 
word  ;  and  every  syllable  fell  like  a  cold  tear  on  Palm's  heart  and 
froze  it.  It  was,  however,  not  only  cold  with  terror  and  dismay, 
but  also  with  determination  and  calmness. 

Before  these  strangers,  with  their  cold,  indifferent  faces,  he  re- 
solved at  once  not  to  betray  any  weakness.  He  did  not  want  to 
afford  his  assassins  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  tremble. 

His  bearing,  therefore,  only  manifested  firm  determination  and 
grave  calmness.  He  cast  a  single  flaming  glance,  full  of  proud 
disdain,  on  his  judges. 

"Very  well,"  he  said,  loudly  and  firmly,  "I  shall  die  ;  I  shall  go 
to  God  and  accuse  you  before  his  throne, — you  who  trample  on  all 
state  and  international  laws,  and  have  not  judged,  but  murdered  me. 
My  blood  be  on  your  heads  !" 

"  Prisoner, "  said  General  St.  Hilaire,  quietly,  "  if  you  desire 
any  thing  before  your  death,  mention  it  now,  and  if  able  to  comply 
with  it,  we  shall  grant  it. " 

"  I  have  but  one  desire, "  said  Palm,  and  now  his  voice  trembled  a 
little,  and  a  shadow  passed  across  his  forehead.  "  I  only  wish  that 
my  wife  may  be  permitted  to  spend  these  last  hours  with  me,  and  to 
take  leave  of  me !" 

"  Your  wife  ?"  asked  the  general.  "  Is  your  wife  here,  then  ?  And 
if  she  be  here,  who  has  dared  to  advise  you  of  it?" 

"Nobody  has  advised  me  of  it,"  replied  Palm,   "nor  do  I  know 
whether  she  is  here  or  not,  but  I  believe  it.     Moreover,  it  would  be 
*  "M6moires  d'un  Hoinme  d'lStat,"  vol.  ix.,  p.  247. 


THE  WOMEN  OF  BRAUNAU.  481 

but  natural  that  she  should  have  followed  me  hither.  Permit  me, 
then,  to  see  her  when  she  comes. " 

"Your  request  is  granted.  Return  to  your  prison.  A  preacher 
will  be  sent  to  you  to  prepare  you  for  death.  Soldiers,  remand  the 
prisoner. " 

Palm  saluted  the  gentlemen  with  a  haughty  nod,  and  slowly  and 
solemnly  raised  his  hand  toward  heaven.  "I  summon  you  to  ap- 
pear before  the  awful  tribunal  of  God  Almighty  1"  he  said,  in  a  loud 
and  ringing  voice.  "  Here  you  have  assumed  to  judge  me;  there  God 
will  judge  you  !  " 

He  turned  around  and  left  the  room  at  the  head  of  the  soldiers. 

"It  only  remains  for  us  now  to  inform  the  municipal  authorities 
of  this  city  of  what  has  to  be  done, "  said  the  general,  after  a  short 
pause.  "  They  must  be  present  at  the  execution,  for  this  act  of  jus- 
tice shall  not  take  place  under  the  veil  of  secrecy,  but  openly  under 
the  eyes  of  God  and  men.  Let  the  authorities,  let  the  whole  city 
witness  how  France  punishes  and  judges  those  who,  in  their  traitor- 
ous impudence,  have  offended  against  her  honor  and  glory  !" 

He  adjourned  the  court,  and  returned  to  his  rooms  to  repose  from 
so  exhausting  a  session,  and  to  prepare,  by  partaking  of  an  epicurean 
repast,  for  the  unpleasant  duty  that  awaited  him,  viz. ,  to  be  present 
at  an  execution. 

The  general  was  just  sipping  a  glass  of  malmsey  with  infinite 
relish,  and  eating  a  piece  of  the  excellent  pdtedefoie  gras  which 
had  been  ordered  from  Strasburg,  when  a  strange  and  long-continued 
noise  on  the  street  suddenly  disturbed  him  in  his  epicurean  enjoy- 
ment. 

He  placed  his  glass  angrily  on  the  table,  and  turned  his  eyes  and 
ears  toward  the  windows  opening  on  the  market-place.  The  noise 
continued  all  the  time  ;  it  sounded  singular  and  extraordinary,  as 
though  immense  swarms  of  bees  were  filling  the  air  with  their 
humming. 

The  general  rose  and  hastened  to  the  window. 

A  strange  spectacle,  indeed,  presented  itself  to  his  eyes.  The 
whole  market-place  was  crowded  with  people,  not  with  threatening, 
violent  men,  rushing  forward  with  clinched  fists  and  flashing  eyes, 
but  with  persons  whose  eyes  were  filled  with  tears,  and  who  raised 
their  arms  in  an  imploring  manner. 

They  were  women  and  children,  who  had  marched  in  solemn 
procession  to  the  market-place,  and  now  entirely  filled  it.  The  news 
that  the  court-martial  had  agreed  on  a  sentence,  and  that  Palm  was 
to  be  shot  by  virtue  of  it  this  afternoon  at  two  o'clock  in  the  large 
ditch  of  the  fortress,  had  spread  like  wildfire  through  the  whole  city 
of  Braunau. 


482  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

The  citizens  had  received  the  news  with  intense  rage  and  silent 
horror ;  the  authorities  and  members  of  the  municipality  had  re- 
ceived orders  to  repair  at  the  stated  hour  in  their  official  robes  to  the 
place  of  execution  for  the  purpose  of  witnessing  the  dreadful  scene. 

Too  weak  to  offer  any  resistance,  and  well  aware  that  they  could 
not  count  on  the  assistance  of  their  own  German  superiors,  they  had 
to  submit  to  the  order.  Bowing  to  the  stern  law  of  necessity,  they 
declared,  therefore,  their  readiness  to  comply  with  the  behests  of 
the  French  general,  and  to  appear  at  the  place  of  execution. 

But  while  all  the  men  were  giving  way  to  cowardly  fear ;  while 
they  timidly  swallowed  their  rage  and  humiliation,  the  women 
arose  in  the  genuine  and  bold  enthusiasm  of  their  grief  and  compas- 
sion. They  could  not  threaten,  nor  arm  their  hand  with  the  sword, 
like  men,  but  they  could  beseech  and  supplicate,  and  in  the  place  of 
weapons  in  their  hands  they  had  tears  in  their  eyes. 

"  If  you  will  not  go  to  demand  justice  for  a  German  citizen,  I 
shall  do  so, "  said  the  wife  of  the  burgomaster  of  Braunau  to  her  hus- 
band. "  You  have  to  watch  over  the  welfare  of  the  city,  but  I  shall 
save  its  honor.  I  will  not  permit  this  day  to  become  an  eternal  dis- 
grace to  Braunau,  and  history  to  speak  one  day  of  the  slavish  fear 
with  which  we  humbly  submitted  to  the  will  of  the  French  tyrant. 
You  men  refuse  to  intercede  with  the  general  for  Palm  ;  well,  then, 
we  women  will  do  so,  and  God  at  least  will  hear  our  words,  and 
history  will  preserve  them. " 

She  turned  her  back  to  her  husband  and  went  to  inform  her 
friends  of  her  determination,  and  to  send  messengers  all  over  the 
city. 

And  from  street  to  street,  from  house  to  house,  there  resounded, 
the  shouts:  "Dress  in  mourning,  women,  and  come  out  into  the 
street.  Let  us  go  to  General  St.  Hilaire  and  beg  for  the  life  of  a 
German  citizen !" 

Not  an  ear  had  been  closed  against  this  sacred  appeal ;  not  a 
woman's  heart  had  disregarded  it.  They  came  forth  from  all  the 
houses  and  from  all  the  cabins,  the  countess  as  well  as  the  beggar- 
woman,  the  old  as  well  as  the  young  ;  the  mothers  led  their  children 
by  the  hand,  and  the  brides  lent  to  their  grandmothers  their  shoul- 
ders to  lean  upon. 

The  procession  formed  in  front  of  the  burgomaster's  house  ;  then 
the  women  walked  in  pairs  and  slowly  as  the  weak  feet  of  the  totter- 
ing old  dames  and  the  delicate  children  required  it,  through  the 
long  main  street  toward  the  market-place. 

General  St.  Hilaire  was  still  at  the  window,  gazing  in  great 
astonishment  on  the  strange  spectacle,  when  the  door  opened  and 
his  adjutant  entered. 


THE  WOMEN  OF  BEAUNAU.  483 

"  Come  and  look  at  this  scene, "  said  the  general  to  him,  laughing. 
"  The  days  of  the  great  revolution  seem  to  find  an  echo  here,  and  the 
women  rebel  as  they  did  at  that  time.  Oh,  well  do  I  remember  the 
day  when  the  women  went  to  Versailles  in  order  to  frighten  the 
queen  by  their  clamor  and  to  beg  bread  of  the  king.  But  I  am  no 
Antoinette,  and  no  corn-fields  are  growing  in  my  hands.  What  do 
they  want  of  me?" 

"  General,  a  deputation  of  the  women  has  just  entered  the  hotel, 
and  beg  your  excellency  to  grant  them  an  interview. " 

"Are  the  members  of  the  deputation  pretty?"  asked  the  general, 
laughing. 

"  The  wife  of  the  burgomaster  and  the  first  ladies  of  the  city  are 
among  them, "  said  the  adjutant,  gravely. 

"And  what  do  they  want?" 

"  General,  they  want  to  implore  your  excellency  to  delay  the  exe- 
cution of  the  German  bookseller,  and  grant  him  a  reprieve  so  as  to 
give  them  time  to  petition  the  emperor  to  pardon  him. " 

"Impossible,"  exclaimed  St.  Hilaire,  angrily.  "It  is  time  to 
bury  and  forget  this  unpleasant  affair.  No  delay,  no  reprieve! 
State  that  to  those  women.  I  do  not  want  to  be  disturbed  any 
longer.  Of  what  importance  is  this  man  Palm  ?  Have  not  thousands 
of  the  most  distinguished  and  excellent  men  been  buried  on  our 
battle-fields,  and  has  not  the  world  quietly  pursued  its  course?  It 
will  therefore  do  so,  too,  after  Palm  is  dead.  Truly,  they  are  wail- 
ing and  lamenting  about  the  sentence  of  this  German  bookseller  as 
if  he  were  the  only  copy  of  such  a  description  in  this  country  so 
famous  for  writing  and  publishing  books !  Go  and  dismiss  the 
women  ;  I  do  not  want  to  listen  to  them.  But  if  the  youngest  and 
prettiest  girl  among  them  will  come  up  to  me  and  give  me  a  kiss, 
she  may  do  so. " 

The  adjutant  •withdrew,  and  the  general  returned  to  the  window 
to  look  down  on  the  surging  crowd  below.  He  saw  that  his  adju- 
tant had  left  the  house  and  walked  toward  a  group  of  women 
standing  at  some  distance  from  the  others  and  apparently  looking 
for  him.  He  saw  that  his  adjutant  spoke  to  them,  and  that  the  wo- 
men then  turned  around  and  made  a  sign  to  the  others. 

All  the  women  immediately  knelt  down,  and,  raising  their 
folded  hands  to  heaven,  began  to  sing  in  loud  and  solemn  notes  a 
pious  hymn,  a  hymn  of  mercy,  addressed  to  God  and  the  Holy 
Virgin. 

The  general  crossed  himself  involuntarily,  and,  perhaps  unwil- 
lingly, folded  his  hands  as  if  for  silent  prayer. 

The  door  opened  and  the  adjutant  reentered. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?"  exclaimed  the  general.     "  I  ordered  you 


484  LOUISA   OP   PRUSSIA. 

to  send  the  women  home,  and  instead  of  that,  they  remain  here  and 
sing  a  plaintive  hymn. " 

"General,  the  women  persist  in  their  request.  They  persist  in 
their  demand  for  an  interview  with  your  excellency  in  order  to  hear 
from  your  own  lips  whether  it  is  really  impossible  for  them  to  ob- 
tain a  reprieve — a  pardon  for  Palm.  They  declare  they  will  not 
leave  the  place  until  they  have  spoken  to  your  excellency,  even 
should  you  cause  your  cannon  to  be  pointed  againct  them. " 

"  Ah,  bah  !  I  shall  not  afford  them  the  pleasure  of  becoming  mar- 
tyrs, "  exclaimed  St.  Hilaire,  sullenly.  "  Come,  I  will  put  an  end  to 
the  whole  affair.  I  will  myself  go  down  and  send  them  home. " 

He  beckoned  his  adjutant  to  follow  him,  and  went  with  hasty 
steps  down  into  the  market-place,  and  appeared  in  the  midst  of  the 
women. 

The  hymn  died  away,  but  the  women  did  not  rise  from  their 
knees  ;  they  only  turned  their  eyes,  which  had  hitherto  been  raised 
to  heaven,  to  the  general,  and  extended  their  folded  hands  toward 
him. 

At  this  moment  a  dusty  travelling-coach  drove  through  the  dense 
crowd  on  the  main  street,  and  entered  the  market-place  to  stop  in 
front  of  the  large  hotel  situated  there.  A  pale  young  woman  leaned 
out  of  the  carriage,  and  looked  wonderingly  at  the  strange  spectacle 
presented  to  her  eyes. 

The  kneeling  women,  who  filled  the  whole  market-place,  took  no 
notice  of  the  carriage  ;  they  did  not  think  of  opening  their  ranks  to 
let  it  pass  ;  it  was,  therefore,  compelled  to  halt  and  wait. 

The  pale  young  woman,  as  if  feeling  that  what  had  caused  all 
the  women  here  to  kneel  down  must  concern  her,  too,  hastily 
alighted  from  the  carriage  and  approached  the  kneeling  women. 

All  at  once  she  heard  a  loud  and  imperious  voice  asking  :  "  What 
do  these  ladies  .want  to  see  me  for?  You  applied  for  an  interview 
with  me  :  here  I  am  1  What  do  you  want?" 

"  Mercy  !"  shouted  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  voices.  "  Delay  of 
the  execution  !  Mercy  for  Palm  !" 

A  piercing,  terrible  cry  resounded  from  the  lips  of  the  pale  young 
traveller  ;  she  hurried  toward  the  general  as  if  she  had  wings  on  her 
feet. 

A  murmur  of  surprise  arose  from  the  ranks  of  the  women  ;  they 
perceived  instinctively  that  something  extraordinary  was  about  to 
occur  ;  their  hearts  comprehended  that  this  pale  young  woman,  who 
now  stood  before  the  general  with  flaming  eyes  and  panting  breast, 
must  be  closely  connected  with  the  poor  prisoner.  Every  one  of 
them  held  her  breath  in  order  to  hear  her  voice  and  understand  her 
words 


THE  LAST  HOUR.  485 

"They  ask  for  mercy  for  Palm?"  she  asked,  in  a  voice  in  which 
her  whole  soul  was  vibrating.  "They  speak  of  execution?  Then 
you  are  going  to  murder  him  ?  You  have  sentenced  him  infamously 
and  wickedly?" 

And  while  putting  these  questions  to  the  general,  her  eyes  pierced 
his  face  as  though  they  were  two  daggers. 

"Pray  choose  your  words  more  carefully,"  said  the  general, 
harshly;  "the  court-martial  has  sentenced  the  traitor;  hence,  he 
will  not  be  murdered,  but  punished  for  the  crime  he  has  committed. 
And  for  this  reason, "  he  added,  in  a  louder  voice,  turning  to  the 
women,  "  for  this  reason  I  am  unable  to  grant  your  request.  The 
court-martial  has  pronounced  the  sentence,  and  it  is  not  in  my 
power  to  annul  it.  The  Emperor  Napoleon  alone  could  do  so  if  he 
were  here.  But  as  he  is  in  Paris,  and  consequently  cannot  be 
reached,  the  law  must  take  its  course.  Palm  will  be  shot  at  two 
o'clock  this  afternoon !" 

"Shot !"  ejaculated  the  young  woman  ;  for  a  moment  she  tottered 
as  if  she  were  about  to  faint,  but  then  she  courageously  overcame 
her  emotion,  and  stretching  out  her  arms  to  the  women,  exclaimed  : 
"Pray  with  me,  my  sisters,  that  I  may  be  permitted  to  see  Palm 
and  bid  him  farewell !  I  am  his  wife,  and  have  come  to  die  with 
him !" 

And  like  a  broken  lily  she  sank  down  at  the  general's  feet.  The 
mass  of  the  women  was  surging  as  if  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  had 
moved  the  waves ;  murmurs  and  sighs,  sobs  and  groans,  filled  the 
air,  and  were  the  only  language,  the  only  prayer  the  deeply- moved 
women  were  capable  of. 

The  general  bent  down  to  Anna  and  raised  her.  "Madame,"  he 
said,  so  loudly  as  to  be  heard  by  the  other  women,  "  madame,  your 
prayer  is  granted.  The  only  favor  for  which  the  prisoner  asked  was 
to  see  YOU  before  his  death,  and  we  granted  it  to  him.  Follow, 
therefore,  my  adjutant :  he  will  bring  you  to  him.  Palm  is  waiting 
for  you !" 

"Ah,  I  knew  very  well  that  he  was  waiting  for  me,  and  that  God 
would  lead  me  to  him  in  time  !"  exclaimed  Anna,  raising  her  radiant 
eyes  toward  heaven. 


CHAPTER  LIX. 

THE  LAST  HOUR. 

PALM  had  returned  to  his  cell  without  uttering  a  complaint,  a 
reproach.  Nothing  in  his  bearing  betrayed  his  profound  grief,  his 
intense  indignation.  He  knew  that  neither  his  complaints  nor  his 


486  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

reproaches  were  able  to  change  his  fate,  and  consequently  he  wanted 
to  bear  it  like  a  man. 

He  greeted  Balthasar  with  a  touching  smile  ;  the  jailer  received 
him  at  the  door  of  his  cell,  and  concealed  no  longer  the  tears  which 
filled  his  eyes. 

"  My  poor  friend, "  said  Palm,  kindly,  "  then  you  already  knew 
what  was  in  store  for  me,  and  it  cut  you  to  the  quick  to  see  me  so 
merry  and  unconcerned !  Well,  now  you  may  accept  my  gift,  for 
now  I  shall  be  free,  so  free  that  no  shackles  and  chains  will  ever  be 
able  to  hold  me  again.  And  you  promised  me  not  to  reject  my  gift 
when  I  should  be  restored  to  liberty.  I  have  got  it,  my  friend,— 
take  my  present,  therefore  !" 

He  took  the  breastpin  from  the  table  and  handed  it  to  the  jailer. 
The  latter  received  it  with  a  scarcely  suppressed  groan,  and  when 
he  bent  down  to  kiss  the  hand  which  had  given  it  to  him,  a  scalding 
tear  fell  from  his  eyes  on  Palm's  hand. 

"Oh, "said  Palm,  feelingly,  "I  gave  you  only  a  small  trinket, 
and  you  return  to  me  a  diamond  for  it !  I  thank  you,  my  friend  ;  I 
know  you  will  pray  for  me  in  my  last  moments.  Now  leave  me 
alone  for  an  hour,  for  I  must  collect  my  thoughts  and  consult  with 
God  about  what  is  in  store  for  me.  Are  you  allowed  to  give  me  pen 
and  ink?" 

"  I  have  already  placed  writing-materials  in  the  drawer  of  your 
table, "  said  Balthasar,  in  a  low  voice,  "  for  all  prisoners  like  you 
have  the  right  to  draw  up  their  last  will  for  their  family,  and  I 
solemnly  swear  to  you  that  I  will  forward  what  you  are  going  to 
write  to  its  address. " 

"I  thank  you,  my  friend;  leave  me  alone,  then,  so  that  I  may 
write.  But  listen  !  Do  not  go  too  far  away  ;  remain  in  the  corridor 
BO  that  you  can  open  the  door  to  her  as  soon  as  she  comes. " 

"She!"  asked  the  jailer.     "Who  is  it?" 

Palm  hesitated  ;  he  was  unable  to  utter  the  word  at  once,  for  the 
tears  arose  from  his  heart  and  paralyzed  his  tongue.  "  My  wife  !"  he 
said,  painfully,  at  last.  "  Go  and  await  her,  for  I  am  sure  she  will 
come !" 

He  motioned  Balthasar  to  withdraw,  and  then  sat  down,  weary 
and  exhausted,  in  his  cane-chair.  For  a  moment  he  was  over- 
whelmed by  the  whole  misery  of  his  position,  and  his  grief  rolled 
like  an  avalanche  on  his  poor  heart.  He  dropped  his  head  on  his 
breast ;  his  arms  hung  down  heavy  and  powerless,  and  a  few  tears, 
as  large  as  those  of  children,  and  burning  like  fire,  rolled  over  his 
cheeks.  But  this  did  not  last  long,  for  these  scalding  drops  aroused 
him  from  the  stupor  of  his  grief. 

He  raised  his  head  again  and  dried  the  tears  on  his  cheeks.     "  I 


THE  LAST  HOUR  48? 

have  no  time  to  spare  for  weeping, "  he  said  to  himself  in  a  low 
voice ;  "  my  hours  are  numbered,  and  I  must  write  to  my  poor  Anna 
my  will  for  her  and  my  children  !" 

He  took  from  the  drawer  the  writing-materials  which  Balthasar 
had  kindly  placed  there,  and  took  a  seat  at  the  table  in  order  to 
write.  He  placed  his  chair,  however,  in  such  a  manner  that  he 
was  able  to  see  the  door  of  his  cell,  and  frequently,  while  writing, 
raised  his  eyes  from  the  paper  and  fixed  them  anxiously  on  the  door. 

Now  he  really  heard  approaching  steps,  and  the  key  was  put  into 
the  lock. 

Palm  laid  his  pen  aside  and  rose. 

The  door  opened — Anna  entered.  She  glided  toward  him  with  a 
heavenly  smile ;  he  clasped  her  in  his  arms,  and,  kissing  her  head 
which  she  had  laid  on  his  breast,  whispered :  "  God  bless  you  for 
having  come  to  me  !  I  knew  that  I  should  not  look  for  you  in  vain  !" 

The  jailer  stood  at  the  open  door  and  wept.  His  sobs  reminded 
Palm  of  his  presence. 

"  Balthasar, "  he  said,  imploringly,  and  pointing  his  hand  at  Anna 
who  was  still  reposing  on  his  breast,  "  Balthasar,  I  am  sure  you  will 
leave  me  alone  with  her,  my  friend?" 

"  I  have  received  stringent  orders  never  to  leave  prisoners  under 
sentence  of  death  alone  with  others, "  murmured  Balthasar.  "  They 
might  easily  furnish  arms  or  poison  to  them ;  that  is  what  my 
superiors  told  me. " 

Palm  placed  his  hand  on  his  wife's  head  as  if  going  to  take  a 
solemn  oath.  "Balthasar,"  he  said,  "by  this  sacred  and  beloved 
head  I  swear  to  you  that  I  shall  not  commit  suicide.  Let  my  mur- 
derers take  my  life.  Will  you  now  leave  me  alone  with  her?" 

"I  will,  for  it  would  be  cruel  not  to  do  so,"  said  Balthasar. 
"God  alone  ought  to  hear  what  you  have  to  say  to  each  other!  I 
give  you  half  an  hour ;  then  the  officers  and  the  priest  will  come, 
and  it  will  no  longer  be  in  my  power  to  keep  this  door  locked.  But 
until  then  nobody  shall  disturb  you. " 

He  left  the  cell  and  locked  the  door. 

Man  and  wife  were  alone  now  ;  they  had  half  an  hour  for  their 
last  interview,  their  last  farewell. 

There  are  sacred  moments  which,  like  the  wings  of  the  butterfly, 
are  injured  by  the  slightest  touch  of  the  human  hand,  and  which, 
therefore,  must  not  be  approached  ;  there  are  words  which  no  human 
ear  ought  to  listen  to,  and  tears  which  God  alone  ought  to  count. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  jailer  opened  the  door  and  reentered.  Palm 
and  his  wife  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  cell,  and,  encircling  each 
other  with  one  arm,  looked  calmly,  serenely,  and  smilingly  at  each 
other  like  two  spirits  removed  from  earth. 


488  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

The  paper  on  which  Palm  had  written  was  no  longer  on  the 
table ;  it  reposed  now  on  Anna's  heart ;  the  golden  wedding-ring 
which  Palm  had  worn  on  his  finger  had  disappeared,  and  glittered 
now  on  Anna's  hand  near  her  own  wedding-ring. 

"  The  priest  is  there, "  said  the  jailer,  "  and  the  soldiers,  too,  are 
already  in  the  corridor.  It  is  high  time. " 

"Go,  then,  Anna,"  said  Palm,  withdrawing  his  arm  from  her 
neck. 

But  she  clung  with  a  long  scream  of  despair  to  his  breast.  "  You 
want  me  to  live,  then?"  she  exclaimed,  reproachfully.  "You  want 
to  sever  our  paths?  Oh,  be  merciful,  my  beloved;  remember  that 
we  have  sworn  at  the  altar  to  share  life  and  death  with  each  other  I 
Let  me  die  with  you,  therefore  1" 

"  No, "  he  said,  tenderly  and  firmly.  "  No,  Anna,  you  shall  live 
with  me  I  My  children  are  my  life  and  my  heart ;  they  will  live 
with  you.  Every  morning  I  shall  greet  you  from  the  eyes  of  our 
children,  and  when  they  embrace  you,  think  it  were  my  arms  encir- 
cling you.  Live  for  our  children,  Anna ;  teach  them  to  love  their 
father  who,  it  is  true,  will  be  no  longer  with  them,  but  whose  soul 
will  ever  surround  you  and  them  !  Swear  to  me  that  you  will  live 
and  bear  your  fate  firmly  and  courageously  !" 

"  I  swear  it, "  she  said  in  a  low  voice. 

"  And  now,  beloved  Anna,  leave  me  !  My  last  moments  belong  to 
God!" 

He  kissed  her  lips,  which  were  as  cold  as  marble,  and  led  her 
gently  to  the  door. 

Anna  now  raised  her  head  in  order  to  fix  a  long,  last  look  on  him. 
"You  want  me  to  live,"  she  said  ;  "I  shall  do  so  long  as  it  pleases 
God.  I  bid  you,  therefore,  farewell,  but  not  forever,  nor  even  for  a 
very  long  while.  All  of  us  are  nothing  but  poor  wanderers  whom 
God  has  sent  on  earth  to  perform  their  pilgrimage.  But  at  length 
He  opens  to  us  again  the  doors  of  our  paternal  house  and  calls  us 
home !  I  long  for  my  return  home,  my  beloved  1  Farewell,  then, 
until  we  meet  again  !" 

"  Farewell  until  we  meet  again  !" 

They  shook  hands  once  more,  and  gazed  at  each  other  with  a  smile 
which  lighted  up  their  faces  like  the  last  beam  of  the  setting  sun. 

Then  Anna,  walking  backward  in  order  to  see  him  still,  and  to 
engrave  his  image  deeply  on  her  heart,  crossed  the  threshold  as  the 
jailer  hastily  closed  the  door  behind  her. 

Palm  heard  a  heart-rending  cry  outside  ;  then  every  thing  was 
silent. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  door  opened  again,  and  a  Catholic  priest 
entered. 


THE  LAST  HOUR.  489 

"My  wife  has  fainted,  I  suppose ?"  asked  Palm. 

"  No,  a  sudden  vertigo  seemed  to  seize  her  when  the  door  closed, 
but  she  overcame  her  weakness  and  hurried  away.  May  the  Lord 
God  have  mercy  on  her !" 

"He  will,"  said  Palm,  confidently. 

"  May  He  have  mercy  on  you,  too,  my  son, "  said  the  priest. 
"  Let  us  pray  ;  open  to  me  your  soul  and  your  heart. " 

"  My  soul  and  my  heart  lie  open  before  God ;  He  will  see  and 
judge  them,"  said  Palm.  "I  do  not  belong  to  your  church,  my 
father  ;  I  am  a  Protestant.  But  if  you  will  pray  with  me,  do  so  ;  if 
you  will  give  me  your  blessing,  I  shall  thankfully  accept  it,  for  a 
dying  man  always  likes  to  feel  a  blessing-hand  on  his  forehead. " 

The  clock  struck  two,  and  now  the  drums  commenced  rolling, 
and  the  death-knell  resounded  from  the  church-steeple.  An  awful 
silence  reigned  in  the  whole  city  of  Braunau.  All  the  houses  were 
closed  ;  all  the  windows  "were  covered. 

Nobody  wanted  to  witness  the  dreadful  spectacle  which  the 
despotism  of  the  foreign  tyrant  was  preparing  for  the  citizens  of 
Braunau.  The  women  and  children  had  returned  to  their  houses, 
and  were  kneeling  and  praying  in  their  darkened  rooms.  The 
men  concealed  themselves  in  order  not  to  show  their  shame  and 
rage. 

Nobody  was,  therefore,  on  the  street  when  the  terrible  procession 
approached.  A  miserable  cart  rumbled  along  in  the  midst  of  sol- 
diers and  gens-d' armes.  Palm  was  seated  in  this  cart,  backward, 
and  his  hands  tied  on  his  back  ;  opposite  him  sat  the  priest,  holding 
the  crucifix  in  his  hand  and  muttering  prayers. 

The  German  inhabitants  of  Braunau  had  done  well  to  close  their 
doors  and  cover  their  windows,  for  the  disgrace  and  humiliation  of 
Germany  were  at  this  hour  rumbling  through  their  streets. 

But  not  all  of  them  had  been  so  happy  as  to  be  permitted  to  stay 
at  home.  The  will  of  the  foreign  despot  had  forbidden  it,  and  the 
members  of  the  municipality  and  other  authorities,  in  their  full 
official  robes,  had  repaired  to  the  place  of  execution. 

There  they  stood,  dumb  with  shame,  astonishment,  and  horror, 
with  downcast  eyes,  like  slaves  passing  under  the  yoke. 

About  a  hundred  spectators  stood  behind  them,  but  not  persons 
to  whom  executions  are  merely  a  piquant  spectacle,  a  rare  amuse- 
ment, but  men  with  sombre,  angry  eyes — men  who  had  come  to 
swear  secretly  in  their  hearts,  on.  this  spot  where  the  last  remnant 
of  German  honor  was  to  bleed  to  death,  a  terrible  oath  of  vengeance 
to  the  foreign  despot.  The  blood  of  the  martyr  was  to  stir  up  their 
enthusiasm  for  the  long- deferred,  sacred  deed  of  atonement. 

Palm  had  alighted  from  the  cart,  and  walked  with  rapid,  reso- 


490  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

lute  steps  to  the  spot  which  was  indicated  to  him,  and  behind  which 
an  open  grave  was  yawning. 

Refusing  the  assistance  of  the  provost,  he  himself  took  off  his 
coat  and  threw  it  into  the  open  grave.  He  then  turned  his  eyes  to  the 
side  where  the  authorities  of  Braunau  and  his  German  brethren 
were  standing. 

"  Friends, "  he  said,  aloud,  "  may  my  death  be  a  blessing  to  you  t 
may  my  blood  not  be  shed  in  vain,  but  make  you — " 

A  loud  roll  of  the  drum  drowned  his  words. 

The  general  waved  his  hand  ;  six  guns  were  discharged. 

Palm  sank  to  the  ground,  but  he  rose  again.  Only  one  bullet  had 
struck  him  ;  the  blood  was  gushing  from  his  heart,  but  he  still  lived. 

Another  file  of  soldiers  stepped  forward,  and  once  more  six  guns 
were  discharged  at  him. 

But  the  soldiers,  who  were  accustomed  to  aim  steadily  in  battle, 
had  here,  where  they  were  to  be  executioners,  averted  their  eyes, 
and  their  hands,  which  never  had  trembled  in  battle,  were  trembling 
now. 

Palm  rose  again  from  the  ground,  a  panting,  bleeding  victim, 
and  seemed,  with  his  uplifted  and  blood-stained  hands,  to  implore 
Heaven  to  avenge  him  on  his  murderers. 

A  third  volley  resounded. 

This  time  Palm  did  not  rise  again.  He  was  dead !  God  had 
received  his  soul.  His  bleeding  remains  lay  on  the  German  soil,  as 
if  to  fertilize  it  for  the  day  of  retribution. 


CHAPTER    LX. 
PRUSSIA'S  DECLARATION  OF  WAR. 

KING  FREDERICK  WILLIAM  III.  had  not  yet  left  his  cabinet  to- 
day. He  had  retired  thither  early  in  the  morning  in  order  to  work. 
Maps,  plans  of  battles,  and  open  books  lay  on  the  tables,  and  the 
king  sat  in  their  midst  with  a  musing,  careworn  air. 

A  gentle  rap  at  the  door  aroused  him  from  his  meditations.  The 
king  raised  his  head  and  listened.  The  rap  was  repeated. 

"It  is  Louisa,"  he  said  to  himself,  and  a  smile  overspread  his 
features  as  he  hastened  to  the  door  and  opened  it. 

He  had  not  been  mistaken.  It  was  the  queen  who  stood  before 
the  door.  Smiling,  graceful,  and  merry  as  ever,  she  entered  the 
cabinet  and  gave  her  hand  to  her  husband. 

"  Are  you  angry  with  me,  my  dear  friend,  because  I  have  dis- 
turbed you  ?"  she  asked,  tenderly.  "  But,  it  seemed  to  me,  you  had 


PRUSSIA'S  DECLARATION  OF  WAR.  491 

worked  enough  for  the  state  to-day  and  might  devote  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  to  your  Louisa.  You  know  whenever  I  do  not  see  you  in 
the  morning,  my  day  lacks  its  genuine  sunshine,  and  is  gray  and 
gloomy.  For  this  reason,  as  you  have  not  yet  come  to  me  to-day,  I 
come  to  you.  Good -morning,  my  king  and  husband  !" 

"Good-morning,  my  queen!"  said  the  king,  imprinting  a  kiss 
on  the  white,  transparent  forehead  of  the  queen.  "  Add  to  it,  good- 
day,  my  dear  Louisa,  for  a  wish  from  so  beautiful  and  noble  lips  I 
hope  will  exorcise  all  evil  spirits,  and  cause  this  day  to  become  a 
really  good  one.  I  hope  much  from  it. " 

The  king's  forehead,  which  the  queen's  appearance  had  smoothed 
a  little,  became  clouded  again,  and  he  assumed  a  grave  and  sombre 
air. 

The  queen  saw  it,  and  gently  placed  her  hand  on  his  shoulder. 

"  You  are  downcast,  my  friend, "  she  said,  affectionately.  "  Will 
you  not  let  me  have  my  share  of  your  grief?  Is  not  your  wife  en- 
titled to  it?  Or  will  you  cruelly  deprive  me  of  what  is  my  right? 
Speak  to  me,  my  husband.  Let  me  share  your  grief.  Confide  to  me 
what  is  the  meaning  of  those  clouds  on  your  noble  brow,  and  what 
absorbs  your  soul  to  such  an  extent  that  you  even  forgot  me  and  your 
children,  and  deprived  us  of  your  kind  morning  greeting. " 

But  even  these  tender  words  of  the  queen  were  unable  to  light  up 
the  king's  forehead ;  he  avoided  meeting  her  beautiful,  lustrous 
eyes,  which  were  fixed  on  him  inquiringly,  and  averted  his  head. 

"Government  affairs,"  he  said,  gravely.  "Nothing  interesting 
and  worthy  of  being  communicated  to  my  queen.  Let  us  not  em- 
bitter thereby  the  happy  minutes  of  your  presence.  Let  us  sit 
down. " 

The  queen  knew  her  husband's  peculiarities  to  perfection.  She 
knew  that  no  one  was  allowed  to  contradict  him  whenever  he  assumed 
this  forbidding  tone,  and  that  it  was  best  then  not  to  take  any  notice 
of  his  moroseness,  or,  if  possible,  to  dispel  it. 

She,  therefore,  followed  him  silently  to  the  sofa  and  sat  down, 
inviting  him,  with  a  charming  smile,  to  take  a  seat  by  her  side. 

The  king  did  so,  and  Louisa  leaned  her  head  tenderly  against  his 
shoulder.  "How  sweet  it  is  to  lean  one's  weak  head  against  the 
breast  of  a  strong  man  !"  she  said.  "  It  seems  to  me,  as  long  as  I  am 
near  you,  no  misfortune  can  befall  me,  and  I  cling  to  you  trustingly 
and  happily,  like  the  ivy  covering  the  strong  oak." 

"The  comparison  is  not  correct,"  said  the  king.  "Ivy  does  not 
bloom,  nor  is  it  fragrant.  But  you  are  a  peerless  rose,  the  queen  of 
flowers  I" 

"What!  my  king  condescends  to  flatter  me?"  said  the  queen, 
laughing  merrily,  while  she  raised  her  head  from  the  king's  shoul- 


492  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

der  and  looked  archly  at  him.  "  But,  my  king,  your  comparison  is 
not  correct  either.  Eoses  have  thorns,  and  wound  whosoever  touches 
them.  But  I  would  not  pain  and  wound  you  for  all  the  riches  of 
the  world  !  Were  I  a  rose,  I  should  shake  off  all  my  fragrant  leaves 
to  make  of  them  a  pillow  on  which  your  noble  head  should  repose 
from  the  toils  and  vexations  of  the  day,  and  on  which  you  should 
find  dreams  of  a  happy  future. " 

"  Only  dreams  of  a  happy  future, "  said  Frederick  William,  mus- 
ingly. "  You  may  be  right ;  our  hopes  for  a  happy  future  may  be 
but  a  dream. " 

"  No, "  exclaimed  the  queen,  raising  her  radiant  eyes  toward 
heaven,  "  I  firmly  believe  in  the  happiness  of  our  future ;  I  believe 
and  know  that  God  has  selected  you,  the  most  generous  and  guiltless 
of  princes,  to  break  the  arrogance  of  that  daring  tyrant,  who  would 
like  to  chain  the  whole  world  to  his  despotic  yoke,  and  who,  in  his 
ambitious  thirst  after  conquest,  raises  his  hands  against  the  crowns 
of  all  the  sovereigns.  Your  crown  he  shall  not  touch !  It  is  the 
rock  on  which  his  power  will  be  wrecked,  and  at  the  feet  of  which 
his  proud  waves  will  be  broken.  Prussia  will  avenge  the  disgrace 
of  Germany  ;  I  am  sure  of  it,  and  for  this  reason  I  am  so  happy  and 
confident  since  you,  my  king  and  husband,  have  cast  off  the  mask 
of  that  false  friendship  for  the  tyrant,  and  have  shown  him  your 
open,  angry,  and  hostile  face.  A  heavy  cloud  weighed  down  my 
heart  so  long  as  we  still  continued  mediating,  occupying  neutral 
ground,  trying  to  maintain  peace,  and  hoping  to  derive  advantages 
from  that  man  so  devoid  of  honesty,  sincerity,  and  fidelity. " 

"Still,  who  knows  whether  I  was  right,  after  all,  in  taking  such 
a  course !"  sighed  the  king.  "Peace  is  a  very  precious  thing,  and 
the  people  need  it  for  their  prosperity. " 

"But  your  people  do  not  want  peace!"  exclaimed  the  queen. 
"  They  are  enthusiastic  and  clamorous  for  war,  and  long  for  nothing 
so  much  as  to  see  an  end  put  to  this  deplorable  incertitude.  You 
have  now  caused  your  army  to  be  placed  on  the  war  footing,  and  all 
faces  have  already  brightened  up,  and  all  hearts  feel  encouraged ; 
announce  to  your  people  that  you  will  declare  war  against  the 
usurper,  and  all  Prussia  will  rise  jubilantly  and  hasten  to  the  battle- 
field, as  if  it  were  a  festival  of  victory. " 

"  You  refer  to  the  army,  but  not  to  the  people, "  said  the  king. 
"  It  is  true,  the  army  is  ready  for  the  fray,  and  it  is  satisfied  also 
that  it  will  conquer.  But  who  can  tell  whether  it  may  not  be  mis- 
taken? It  is  long  since  we  have  waged  war,  while  the  armies  of 
Napoleon  are  experienced  and  skilled,  and  ready  to  take  the  field  at 
any  moment." 

"The  army  of  Frederick  the  Great,  the  army  of  my  king  has 


PRUSSIA'S  DECLARATION  OF  WAR.  493 

nothing  to  fear  from  the  hordes  of  the  barbarian !"  exclaimea  the 
queen,  with  flaming  eyes. 

The  king  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  I  stand  in  need  of  allies, "  he 
said ;  "  alone  I  am  not  able  to  sustain  such  a  struggle.  If  the  courts 
of  Northern  Germany  should  comply  with  my  invitation,  if  they 
should  ally  themselves  with  me,  finally,  if  Austria  should  accept 
my  proposition  and  unite  with  me,  in  that  case  I  should  hope  for 
success.  All  this  will  be  decided  to-day,  for  I  am  now  looking  for 
the  return  of  two  important  envoys — for  the  return  of  Hardenberg, 
who  has  delivered  my  propositions  in  Vienna,  and  for  the  return  of 
Lombard,  whom  I  have  sent  to  the  smaller  German  courts  to  offer 
them  an  offensive  and  defensive  alliance  in  opposition  to  Napoleon's 
Confederation  of  the  Rhine.  I  confess  to  you,  Louisa,  I  await  their 
replies  tremblingly  ;  I  cannot  think  of  any  thing  else  ;  this  feeling 
has  haunted  me  all  day,  and  now  you  know  why  I  even  forgot  to 
greet  you  this  morning.  I  intended  not  to  betray  the  uneasiness 
filling  my  heart,  but  who  is  able  to  withstand  such  an  enchantress 
as  you?  Now  you  know  every  thing  !" 

"  And  dp  you  know  already  the  new  misdeed  which  the  tyrant 
has  committed  ?"  asked  the  queen.  "  Do  you  know  that  he  is  ruling 
and  commanding  on  German  soil  as  if  Germany  were  nothing  but  a 
French  province,  and  all  princes  nothing  but  his  vassals'?  In  a 
time  of  peace  he  has  caused  a  German  citizen  to  be  dragged  from 
his  house ;  in  a  German  state  he  has  ordered  a  court-martial  to 
meet,  and  this  court-martial  has  dared  to  pass  sentence  of  death 
upon  a  German  citizen  merely  because  he,  a  German  bookseller,  had 
circulated  a  pamphlet  deploring  Germany's  degradation  !" 

"  I  have  already  known  it  for  three  days, "  said  the  king,  gloomily. 
"I  concealed  it  from  you  in  order  not  to  grieve  you." 

"But  public  opinion  now-a-days  conceals  nothing,"  exclaimed 
Louisa,  ardently,  "and  public  opinion  throughout  Germany  cries 
for  vengeance  against  the  tyrant  who  is  murdering. German  honor 
and  German  laws  in  this  manner !  In  every  city  subscriptions  have 
been  opened  for  Palm's  family,  for  his  young  wife  and  his  little 
girls.  The  poor  as  well  as  the  rich  hasten  to  offer,  according  to 
their  means,  gifts  of  love  to  the  widow  and  orphans  of  the  martyr ; 
and  believe  me,  the  money  which  Germany  is  now  collecting  fof 
Palm's  family  will  be  dragon's  seeds  from  which  armed  warriors 
will  spring  one  day,  and  Germany's  vengeance  will  blossom  from 
this  blood  so  unjustly  shed.  Permit  me,  my  friend,  to  contribute 
my  share  to  these  seeds  of  love  and  vengeance.  They  brought  to  me 
this  morning  a  list  on  which  the  most  distinguished  families  had 
subscribed  considerable  sums  for  Palm's  family,  and  I  was  asked 
whether  my  ladies  of  honor  and  the  members  of  my  household  would 


494  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

be  allowed  to  subscribe  for  the  same  purpose.  I  should  like  to  allow 
it  and  do  even  more — I  should  like  to  contribute  my  mite,  too,  to 
the  subscriptions.  Will  you  permit  me  to  do  so?" 

"  They  will  take  that  again  for  a  demonstration, "  said  the  king, 
uneasily ;  "  they  will  say  we  were  stirring  up  strife  and  discontent 
among  the  Germans.  I  believe  it  would  be  prudent  not  to  make  a 
public  demonstration  prematurely,  but  to  wait  and  keep  quiet  till 
the  right  time  has  come. " 

"And  when  will  the  right  time  come,  if  it  has  not  come  now?" 
exclaimed  the  queen,  mournfully.  "Remember,  my  beloved  hus- 
band, all  the  mortifications  and  humiliations  which  you  have  re- 
ceived of  late  at  the  hands  of  this  despot,  and  which,  in  your  noble 
and  generous  resignation,  did  not  resent  in  order  to  preserve  peace 
to  your  people.  Remember  that  he  alone  prevailed  on  you  to  occupy 
Hanover,  that  he  warranted  its  possession  to  you,  and  then  when 
your  troops  had  occupied  it,  applied  secretly,  and  without  saying  a 
word  to  you,  to  England,  offering  to  make  peace  with  her  by  propos- 
ing to  restore  Hanover  to  her. " 

"  It  was  a  grievous  insult, "  exclaimed  the  king,  with  unusual 
vivacity  ;  "  I  replied  to  it  by  placing  my  army  on  the  war  footing. " 

"  But  our  armies  remain  inactive, "  said  the  queen,  sadly,  "  while 
General  Knobelsdorf  is  negotiating  for  peace  with  Bonaparte  in 
Paris. " 

"  He  is  to  negotiate  until  I  am  fully  prepared, "  said  Frederick 
William — "until  I  know  what  German  princes  will  be  for  and 
against  me.  Above  all,  it  is  necessary  to  know  our  forces  in  order 
to  mature  our  plans.  Hence,  I  must  know  who  is  on  my  side. " 

"God  is  on  your  side,  and  so  is  Germany's  honor,"  exclaimed  the 
queen ;  "  moreover,  you  may  safely  rely  at  least  on  one  faithful 
friend." 

"You  refer  to  the  Emperor  of  Russia?"  asked  the  king.  "True, 
I  received  yesterday  a  letter  from  the  emperor,  in  which  he  announced 
'that  he  would  come  to  my  assistance  with  an  army  of  seventy 
thousand  men  under  his  personal  command,  as  a  faithful  friend  and 
neighbor,  and  appear  in  time  on  the  battle-field,  no  matter  whether 
it  be  on  the  Rhine  or  beyond  it. '" 

"  Oh,  the  noble  and  faithful  friend !"  exclaimed  the  queen,  joy- 
fully. 

"Yes,"  said  the  king,  thoughtfully,  "he  promises  a  great  deal, 
but  Russian  promises  march  more  rapidly  than  Russian  armies.  I 
am  afraid  events  will  carry  us  along  so  resistlessly  that  we  cannot 
wait  until  the  Emperor  of  Russia  has  arrived  with  his  army.  As 
soon  as  Napoleon  suspects  that  my  preparations  are  meant  for  him, 
he  will  himself  declare  war  against  me.  He  is  always  prepared ; 


PRUSSIA'S  DECLARATION  OF  WAR.  495 

his  army  is  always  ready  for  war.  Whatever  he  may  be,  we  cannot 
deny  that  he  is  a  brave  and  great  general ;  and  I  do  not  know, " 
added  the  king,  in  a  low  voice,  "  I  do  not  know  whether  we  have 
got  a  general  able  to  cope  with  him.  Oh,  Louisa,  I  envy  your 
courage,  your  reliance  on  our  cause.  Do  you  feel  then,  no  uneasi 
ness  whatever?" 

"Uneasiness?"  exclaimed  the  queen,  with  a  proud  smile.  "I  be- 
lieve and  feel  convinced  that  now  only  one  thing  remains  to  be  done. 
We  must  struggle  with  the  monster,  we  must  crush  it,  and  then 
only  will  we  be  allowed  to  speak  of  uneasiness  !  *  I  believe,  besides, 
in  divine  Providence — I  believe  in  you,  my  noble,  high-minded,  and 
brave  king  and  husband,  and  I  believe  in  your  splendid  army, 
which  is  eager  for  war  !  I  believe  in  the  lucky  star  of  Prussia  !" 

''  Oh,  it  seems  to  me  that  many  clouds  are  veiling  that  star, "  said 
the  king,  mournfully. 

"The  thunder  of  battle  will  dispel  them!"  exclaimed  Louisa, 
enthusiastically.  "  The  smoke  of  powder  purifies  the  air  and  destroys 
its  noxious  vapors. " 

Just  then  the  door  opened,  and  the  king's  valet  de  chambre 
entered. 

"Your  majesty,"  he  said,  "his  excellency,  Minister  Baron  von 
Hardenberg,  requests  you  to  grant  him  an  audience. " 

"  You  see  the  decision  is  drawing  near, "  said  the  king,  turning 
to  his  wife.  "  I  shall  request  the  minister  to  come  in  directly. " 

The  valet  de  chambre  withdrew.  The  king  paced  the  room  several 
times,  his  hands  folded  on  his  back,  and  without  uttering  a  word. 
Louisa  dared  not  disturb  him,  but  her  radiant  eyes  followed  him 
with  an  expression  of  tender  anxiety  and  affectionate  sympathy. 

All  at  once,  the  king  stopped  in  the  middle  of  the  room  and  drew 
a  deep  breath.  "  I  do  not  know, "  he  said,  "  I  feel  almost  joyful  and 
happy  now  that  the  decisive  moment  is  at  hand.  Francis  von  Sick- 
ingen  was  right  in  saying,  'Better  an  end  with  terror,  than  a  terror 
without  end !'"  f 

"Oh,"  exclaimed  the  queen,  joyfully,  "now  I  recognize  my  noble 
and  brave  husband.  When  no  longer  able  to  avert  terrors  by  mild 
words  and  gentle  prudence,  he  raises  his  chivalrous  arm  and  crushes 
them.  But  as  we  must  not  keep  your  minister  waiting,  I  will  with- 
draw. One  word  more.  Will  you  permit  me  to  add  my  subscrip- 
tion to  the  list  of  contributions  for  Palm's  widow?  I  do  not  wish 
to  do  so  as  Queen  of  Prussia,  but  as  a  woman  sympathizing  with  the 
misfortunes  of  one  of  her  German  sisters,  and  anxious  to  comfort 

*  The  queen's  own  words— Vide  Gentz's  "Writings,"  vol.  iv. ,  p.  169. 
f  The  motto  of  the  celebrated  knight.  Francis  von  Sickingen:  "Besser  ein  Ende 
mit  Schrecken,  als  ein  Schrecken  ohne  Ende  I n 


496  LOUISA   OF  PRUSSIA. 

her  in  her  distress.  I  shall  not  mention  my  name,  but  cause  our 
dear  mistress  of  ceremonies  to  subscribe  for  me.  Will  you  permit  it, 
my  friend?" 

"  Follow  your  noble  and  generous  heart,  Louisa, "  said  the  king, 
"contribute  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  woman  !" 

"Thanks,  my  friend,  a  thousand  thanks,"  exclaimed  Louisa, 
offering  her  hand  to  her  husband.  He  kissed  it  tenderly,  and  then 
accompanied  the  queen  to  the  door. 

Louisa  wanted  here  to  withdraw  her  hand  from  him  and  open 
the  door,  in  order  to  go  out,  but  her  husband  kept  her  back,  and  his 
features  assumed  an  air  of  embarrassment. 

"I  want  you  to  do  me  a  favor,"  he  said,  hastily.  "When  you 
have  caused  the  mistress  of  ceremonies  to  subscribe  in  your  name, 
please  order  your  grand-marshal  to  contribute  the  same  sum.  I 
will  return  it  to  him  from  my  privy  purse. "  * 

The  queen  made  no  reply  ;  she  encircled  the  king's  neck  with  her 
beautiful  white  arms,  and  imprinted  a  glowing  kiss  on  his  lips  ;  she 
then  hastily  turned  around  and  left  the  room,  perhaps,  in  order  not 
to  let  her  husband  see  the  tears  that  filled  her  eyes. 

The  king,  who  had  gazed  after  her  with  a  long  and  tender  look, 
said  in  a  low  voice  to  himself :  "  Oh,  she  is  the  sunshine  of  my  life. 
How  dreary  and  cold  it  would  be  without  her !  But  now  I  will  see 
the  minister. " 

He  hastened  to  the  opposite  door  and  opened  it.  "  Request  Min- 
ister von  Hardenberg  to  come  in, "  he  said  to  the  valet  de  chambre, 
waiting  in  the  anteroom. 

After  a  few  minutes  Hardenberg  entered.  The  king  went  for- 
ward to  meet  him,  and  looked  at  him  inquiringly. 

"Good  news?"  he  asked. 

"Your  majesty,  'good'  has  a  very  relative  meaning, "  replied  Har- 
denberg, shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  I  believe  an  open  and  categori- 
cal reply  to  be  good. " 

"  Then  you  are  the  bearer  of  such  a  reply, "  said  the  king,  quietly  ; 
"  first  tell  me  the  result  of  your  mission.  You  may  afterward  add 
the  particulars  of  the  negotiations. " 

"I  shall  comply  with  your  majesty's  order.  The  result  is  that 
Austria  wants  to  remain  neutral,  and  will,  for  the  present,  engage  in 
no  further  wars.  Her  finances  are  exhausted,  and  her  many  defeats 
have  demoralized  and  discouraged  her  armies.  Napoleon  has-  van- 
quished Austria,  not  only  militarily,  but  also  morally.  The  Austrian 
soldiers  look  on  the  Emperor  of  the  French  and  his  victorious  armies 

*  Palm's  widow  received  large  sums  of  money,  which  were  subscribed  for  her 
everywhere  in  Germany,  England,  and  Russia.  In  St.  Petersburg  the  emperor  and 
empress  headed  the  list.— Vide  "Biography  of  John  Philip  Palm,"  Munich,  1843. 


PRUSSIA'S  DECLARATION  OF  WAR.  497 

with  an  almost  superstitious  terror  ;  the  emperor  is  discouraged  and 
downcast,  and  his  ministers  long  for  nothing  more  ardently  than 
a  lasting  peace  with  France.  His  generals,  on  the  other  hand,  are 
filled  with  so  glowing  an  admiration  for  Napoleon's  military  genius, 
that  the  Archduke  Charles  himself  has  said  :  '  he  would  deem  it  a 
crime  to  continue  the  war  against  Napoleon,  instead  of  courting  his 
friendship.'"* 

"  He  may  be  right, "  said  the  king,  "  but  he  ought  to  have  called 
it  an  imprudence  instead  of  a  crime.  I  know  very  well  that  we  are 
unable  to  retrace  our  steps,  and  that  the  logic  of  events  will  compel 
us  to  draw  the  sword  and  risk  a  war,  but  I  do  not  close  my  eyes 
against  the  serious  dangers  and  misfortunes  in  which  Prussia  might 
be  involved  by  taking  up  arms  without  efficient  and  active  allies.  I 
have  taken  pains  for  years  to  save  Prussia  from  the  horrors  and 
evils  of  war,  but  circumstances  are  more  powerful  than  I,  and  I 
shall  have  to  submit  to  them. " 

"  On  the  contrary,  circumstances  will  have  to  submit  to  your 
majesty  and  fate. " 

"  Fate  !"  the  king  interrupted  him,  hastily.  "  Fate  is  no  courtier, 
and  never  flattered  me  much. " 

"  Your  majesty,  I  was  going  to  imitate  fate,  — I  did  not  want  to 
flatter  you,  either, "  said  Hardenberg.  "  I  was  merely  going  to  say 
that  fate  seems  to  favor  us  suddenly.  I  have  received  letters  from 
Mr.  Fox,  the  English  minister.  King  George  the  Third,  now  that 
he  sees  that  Prussia  is  in  earnest,  and  is  preparing  for  war,  is  more 
inclined  to  form  an  alliance  with  Prussia.  The  first  favorable 
symptom  of  this  change  of  views  is  the  fact  that  England  has  raised 
the  blockade  of  the  rivers  of  northern  Germany  ;  a  British  envoy  will 
soon  be  here  to  make  peace  with  Prussia,  and  to  conclude  an  alli- 
ance, by  virtue  of  which  England  will  furnish  us  troops  and  money. " 

"Would  to  God  the  envoy  would  arrive  speedily,"  sighed  the 
king,  "for  we  need  both,  auxiliaries  as  well  as  money."  f 

When  Minister  von  Hardenberg  left  the  king's  cabinet,  his  face 
was  radiant  with  inward  satisfaction,  and  he  hastened  with  rapid 
steps  to  his  carriage. 

"To  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand,"  he  said  to  the  coachman.  "As 
fast  as  the  horses  will  run  !" 

*Vide  "Libensbilder  aus  dem  Befreiungskriege,"  vol.  iii. 

tThe  British  envoy,  Lord  Morpeth,  unfortunately  arrived  too  late;  it  was  only 
on  the  12th  of  October  that  he  reached  the  king's  headquarters  at  Weimar.  But 
the  French  party.  Minister  Haugwitz,  Lombard,  and  Lucchesini,  managed  to  pre- 
vent him  from  obtaining  an  interview  with  the  king;  and  dismissed  him  with  the 
reply,  that  the  results  of  the  negotiations  would  depend  on  the  issue  of  the  battle 
which  was  about  to  be  fought.— Vide  Hausser's  "History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p. 


498  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

Prince  Louis  Ferdinand  was  in  the  midst  of  his  friends  in  his 
music-room  when  Minister  Hardenberg  entered.  He  was  sitting  at 
the  piano  and  playing  a  voluntary.  His  fancy  must  have  taken  a 
bold  flight  to-day,  for  in  the  music  he  evoked  from  the  keys  there 
was  more  ardor,  vigor,  and  enthusiasm  than  generally,  and  the 
noble  features  of  the  prince  were  radiant  with  delight.  Close  to 
him,  her  head  leaning  gently  on  his  shoulder,  sat  Pauline  Wiesel, 
the  prince's  beautiful  and  accomplished  friend,  and  listened  with  a 
smile  on  her  crimson  lips,  and  tears  in  her  eyes,  to  the  charming 
and  soul-stirring  melodies.  In  the  middle  of  the  room  there  stood 
a  table  loaded  down  with  fiery  wines  and  tropical  fruits,  and  twelve 
gentlemen,  most  of  them  army  officers,  were  seated  around  it.  They 
were  the  military  and  learned  friends  of  the  prince,  his  daily  com- 
panions, who,  like  Hardenberg,  were  always  allowed  to  enter  his 
rooms  without  being  announced. 

The  minister  hastily  beckoned  the  gentlemen  who  were  going  to 
rise  and  salute  him,  to  keep  their  seats,  and  hurried  quickly  and 
softly  across  the  room  toward  the  prince,  whose  back  was  turned  to 
the  door,  and  who  consequently  had  not  noticed  his  arrival. 

"  Prince, "  he  said,  gently  placing  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  "  it  is 
settled  now  :  we  shall  have  war !" 

"  War  !"  shouted  the  prince,  jubilantly,  and  rose  impetuously  to 
embrace  the  minister  and  imprint  a  kiss  on  the  lips  which  had 
uttered  the  precious  word. 

"  War  !"  exclaimed  the  gentlemen  at  the  table,  and  emptied  their 
glasses  in  honor  of  the  news. 

"War!"  sighed  fair  Pauline  Wiesel,  and  clinging  closely  to  the 
prince's  shoulder,  she  whispered:  "War,  that  is  to  say,  I  shall  lose 
you !" 

"  No,  it  is  to  say  that  I  shall  gain  every  thing, "  exclaimed  the 
prince,  with  flashing  eyes.  "  I  beseech  you,  Pauline,  no  weakness 
now,  no  sentimentality,  no  tears.  The  great  moment  is  come.  Let 
us  appreciate  it.  At  length,  at  length  we  shall  avenge  our  disgrace, 
at  length  we  shall  be  able  to  raise  our  humiliated  heads  again,  and 
need  not  feel  ashamed  any  longer  of  saying,  'I  am  a  German  !'" 

"Your  royal  highness  will  now  be  able  to  say,  'I  am  a  German 
hero  ! ' "  said  Hardenberg. 

"  Would  to  God  you  were  right !"  exclaimed  the  prince.  May  He 
grant  me  an  opportunity  to  earn  a  small  laurel- wreath,  even  had  I 
to  atone  for  it  with  my  blood,  nay,  with  my  life  J  To  die  for  the 
fatherland  is  a  sublime  death  ;  and  should  I  fall  thus,  Pauline,  you 
ought  not  to  weep,  but  sing  jubilant  hymns  and  envy  my  happy 
fate.  Tell  me,  friend  Hardenberg,  when  is  the  war  to  commence?" 

"As  soon  as  the  various  army  corps  can  be  concentrated, "  replied 


PRUSSIA'S  DECLARATION  OF  WAR.  499 

Hardenberg.  "  We  know  positively  that  Napoleon  is  arming  for  the 
purpose  of  attacking  us,  and  that  he  intends  to  declare  war  against 
us.  We  shall  hasten  and  try  to  outstrip  him.  Prussia  has  been  in- 
sulted too  often  and  too  grievously ;  hence,  the  challenge  ought  to 
come  from  her. " 

"And  we  will  take  revenge  on  M.  Bonaparte,"  exclaimed  the 
prince,  with  flaming  eyes.  "  It  shall  be  an  American  duel,  and  only 
the  death  of  either  of  the  duellists  shall  put  an  end  to  it !  Friends, 
take  your  glasses  and  fill  them  to  overflowing.  Hardenberg,  take 
this  glass  ;  Pauline  shall  present  it  to  you.  Now,  let  us  drink  to  the 
honor  of  Prussia  and  shout  with  me,  three  cheers  for  the  war,  for  an 
heroic  victory,  for  an  heroic  death  !" 

"  Three  cheers  for  the  war,  for  an  heroic  victory,  for  an  heroic 
death  !"  shouted  the  friends.  They  emptied  their  glasses  ;  the  eyes 
of  the  men  were  radiant,  but  Pauline's  eyes  were  filled  with  tears.* 

On  the  evening  of  that  day  the  king  went,  as  usual,  to  the  queen 
to  take  a  cup  of  tea  which  she  herself  served  up  to  him.  Notwith- 
standing the  objections  of  the  mistress  of  ceremonies,  they  paid  at 
this  hour  no  attention  to  the  rules  of  etiquette,  and  their  intercourse 
was  as  cordial  and  unceremonious  as  that  of  a  common  citizen's 
family. 

The  queen,  therefore,  was  alone  when  her  husband  entered  the 
room.  None  of  her  ladies  of  honor  were  allowed  to  disturb  the  en- 
joyment of  this  pleasant  tea-hour ;  only  when  the  king  wished  it, 
the  royal  children  were  sent  for  to  chat  with  their  parents  and  to 
receive  their  supper  at  the  hands  of  their  beautiful  mother. 

The  queen  went  to  meet  her  husband  with  a  pleasant  salutation, 
and  offered  him  her  hands.  "Well,"  she  asked,  tenderly,  "your 
brow  is  clouded  still?  Come,  let  me  kiss  those  clouds  away." 

She  raised  herself  on  tip- toe,  and  smiled  when  she  still  was 
unable  to  reach  up  to  her  husband's  forehead. 

"  You  must  bend  down  to  me, "  she  said,  "  I  am  too  small  for  you. " 

"  No,  you  are  great  and  sublime,  and  must  bend  down  to  me  as 
angels  bend  down  to  the  poor  mortals, "  said  the  king.  "  All,  Louisa, 
I  am  afraid,  however,  your  kiss  will  no  longer  be  able  to  drive  the 
clouds  from  my  brow. " 

"Have  you  received  bad  news?"  asked  the  queen.  "Have  your 
ambassadors  returned?" 

"They  have.  No  assistance  from  Austria!  That  is  the  news 
brought  by  Hardenberg.  No  league  of  the  princes  of  Northern  Ger- 
many !  That  is  the  news  brought  by  Lombard.  Every  one  of  them 
pursues  his  separate  interests,  and  thinks  only  of  himself.  The 

*  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand  was  killed  in  the  flnrt  battle  of  the  war,  at  Saalfeld, 
on  the  10th  of  October,  1806. 

MUHLBACII— V  VOL-    7 


500  LOUISA  OF  PRUSSIA. 

Elector  of  Saxony  would  like  to  be  at  the  head  of  a  Saxon  league ; 
the  Elector  of  Hesse  promises  to  ally  himself  with  us  if,  above  all, 
we  secure  to  him  a  considerable  enlargement  of  his  territory  ;  Olden- 
burg is  going  to  wait  and  see  what  the  other  states  will  do ;  Waldeck 
and  Lippe  desire  to  join  the  Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  because 
they  might  derive  greater  advantages  from  it ;  and  the  Duke  of 
Mecklenburg-Schwerin  replied,  quite  haughtily,  he  would  remain 
neutral :  if  he  were  in  danger,  he  would  gratefully  accept  the  pro- 
tection of  Prussia,  but  he  would  have  to  reject  any  application  for 
supplies  in  the  most  decided  manner. "  * 

"  Oh,  those  narrow-minded,  egotistic  men, "  exclaimed  the  queen, 
indignantly.  "  They  dare  to  call  themselves  princes,  and  yet  there 
is  not  a  single  exalted  thought,  not  a  trace  of  the  spirit  of  majesty 
in  their  minds.  Bad  seeds  are  being  sown  by  the  cowardly  spirit  of 
the  princes.  Woe  unto  Germany  if  these  seeds  should  ripen  one  day 
in  the  hearts  of  the  people  !  But  you  did  not  say  any  thing  about 
my  father ;  what  did  Mecklenburg-Strelitz  reply?" 

"  She  is  on  our  side ;  your  father  is  faithful  to  us. " 

"But,  ah,  he  is  able  only  to  give  us  his  great,  true  heart  and 
brave,  friendly  advice  !"  sighed  the  queen.  "  His  state  is  too  small 
to  furnish  us  any  other  aid.  Oh,  my  husband,  I  could  now  give  my 
heart's  blood  if  I  only  were  the  daughter  of  a  mighty  king,  and  if 
my  father  could  hasten  to  your  assistance  with  an  army. " 

"A  single  drop  of  your  heart's  blood  would  be  too  high  a  price 
for  the  armies  of  the  whole  world, "  said  the  king.  "  Your  father 
has  given  to  me  the  most  precious  and  priceless  treasure  earth  con- 
tains :  a  noble,  beautiful  wife,  a  high-minded  queen  !  Your  father 
was  the  richest  prince  when  he  still  had  his  daughter,  and  I  am  the 
richest  man  since  you  are  mine. " 

He  clasped  the  queen  in  his  arms,  and  she  clung  to  him  with  a 
blissful  smile. 

"  For  the  rest, "  said  the  king,  after  a  pause,  "  there  is  at  least 
one  German  prince  who  stands  faithfully  by  us,  and  that  is  the 
Duke  of  Saxe- Weimar." 

"The  friend  of  Goethe  and  Schiller  !"  exclaimed  the  queen. 

"  The  duke  places  his  battalion  of  riflemen  at  our  disposal,  and 
•will  accept  a  command  in  the  war." 

"There  will  be  war,  then?"  asked  the  queen,  joyfully. 

"Yes,  there  will  be  war,"  said  the  king,  sadly. 

"You  say  so  and  sigh,"  exclaimed  Louisa. 

"Yes,  I  sigh,"  replied  the  king.  "I  am  not  as  happy  as  you  and 
those  who  are  in  favor  of  war.  I  do  not  believe  in  the  invincibility 
of  my  army.  I  feel  that  we  cannot  be  successful.  There  is  an  in- 
*  Hausser's  "History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  770. 


A  BAD  OMEN.  501 

describable  confusion  in  the  affairs  of  the  war  department ;  the 
gentlemen  at  the  head  of  it,  it  is  true,  will  not  believe  it,  and  pre- 
tend that  I  am  still  too  young  and  do  not  understand  enough  about 
it.  Ab,  I  wish  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  were  mistaken.  The 
future  will  soon  show  it. "  * 


CHAPTER    LXI. 

A  BAD  OMEN. 

THE  decisive  word  had  been  uttered!  Prussia  was  at  length 
going  to  draw  the  sword,  and  take  revenge  for  years  of  humiliation. 

The  army  received  this  intelligence  with  unbounded  exultation 
and  the  people  embraced  every  opportunity  to  manifest  their  martial 
enthusiasm.  They  demanded  that  Schiller's  "Maid  of  Olreans" 
should  be  performed  at  the  theatre,  and  replied  to  every  warlike 
and  soul-stirring  word  of  the  tragedy  by  the  most  rapturous  applause. 
They  again  broke  all  the  windows  in  Count  Haugwitz's  house,  and 
serenaded  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand,  Minister  von  Hardenberg,  and 
such  generals  as  were  known  to  be  in  favor  of  war. 

All  the  newspapers  predicted  the  most  brilliant  victories,  and 
gloated  already  in  advance  over  the  triumphant  battles  in  which 
the  Prussian  army  would  defeat  the  enemy. 

But  the  proudest  and  happiest  of  all  were  the  officers  who,  in  the  in- 
toxication of  their  joy,  saw  their  heads  already  wreathed  with  laurels 
which  they  would  gain  in  the  impending  war,  and  whose  pride 
would  not  admit  the  possibility  of  a  defeat.  The  army  of  Frederick 
the  Great,  they  said,  could  not  be  vanquished,  and  there  was  but 
one  apprehension  which  made  them  tremble :  the  fear  lest  war 
should  be  avoided  after  all,  and  lest  the  inevitable  and  crushing  de- 
feat of  Bonaparte  should  be  averted  once  more  by  the  conclusion  of 
a  miserable  peace. "  f 

The  old  generals  who  had  served  under  Frederick  the  Great  were 
the  heroes  in  whom  the  officers  believed.  "We  have  got  generals 
who  know  something  about  war, "  said  the  haughty  Prussian  officers  ; 
"generals  who  have  served  in  the  army  from  their  early  youth. 
Those  French  tailors  and  shoemakers  who  have  gained  some  distinc- 
tion only  in  consequence  of  the  revolution,  had  better  take  to  their 
heels  as  soon  as  such  generals  take  the  field  against  them. "  J 

And  in  the  enthusiasm  inspired  by  their  future  victories,  the 
officers  gave  each  other  brilliant  farewell  festivals,  and  indulged  in 

*  The  king's  own  words.  —Vide  Henchel  von  Donnersmark. 
t  Vide  Varnhagen's  "Denkwurdigkeiten,"  vol.  i.,  pp.  389,  390, 
t  Hausser'8  "History  of  Germany,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  358. 


502  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

liberal  potations  of  champagne  and  hock  in  honor  of  the  impending 
battles,  singing  in  stentorian  voices  the  new  war-songs  which 
E.  M.  Arndt  *  had  just  dedicated  to  the  German  people.  When  their 
passions  had  been  excited  to  the  highest  pitch  by  dreams  of  victory, 
by  wine  and  soul-stirring  songs,  they  went  in  the  evening  to  the 
residence  of  the  French  minister  to  whet  their  sword-blades  on  the 
pavement  in  front  of  his  door. 

"But  what  should  we  need  swords  and  muskets  for?"  shouted 
the  officers  up  to  the  windows  of  the  French  minister  ;  "  for  when 
the  brave  Prussians  are  approaching,  the  French  will  run  away 
spontaneously  ;  cudgels  would  be  sufficient  to  drive  the  fellows  back 
to  their  own  country. "  f 

But  there  were  among  the  officers,  and  particularly  among  the 
generals,  some  prudent  and  sagacious  men  who  shared  the  king's 
apprehensions,  and  who  looked,  like  him,  anxiously  into  the  future. 

These  prudent  men  were  aware  of  the  condition  of  the  Prussian 
army,  and  knew  that  it  was  no  longer  what  it  had  been  in  the 
Seven  Years'  War,  and  that  there  was  no  Frederick  the  Great  to 
lead  it  into  battle. 

It  is  true,  there  were  still  in  the  army  many  generals  and  officers 
who  had1  served  under  Frederick  the  Great,  and  these,  of  course, 
were  experienced  and  skilled  in  warlike  operations.  But  they  were 
weighed  down  by  the  long  number  of  their  years  ;  old  age  is  opposed 
to  an  adventurous  spirit,  and  in  favor  of  the  comforts  of  life. 
Nevertheless,  these  men  believed  in  themselves  and  felt  convinced 
that  victory  would  adhere  to  them,  the  warriors  of  Frederick  the 
Great,  and  that  no  army  was  able  to  defeat  soldiers  commanded  by 
them. 

The  more  prudent  men  looked  with  feelings  of  reverence  on  these 
ruins  of  the  magnificent  structure  which  the  great  king  had  erected, 
but  they  perceived  at  the  same  time  that  they  were  decayed  and 
crumbling.  They  well  knew  that  the  Prussian  army  was  behind 
the  times  in  many  respects,  and  not  equal  to  the  occasion.  Not 
only  were  the  leaders  too  old,  but  the  soldiers  also  had  grown  hoary 
— not,  however,  in  wars  and  military  camps,  but  in  parading  and 
garrison  life.  They  knew  nothing  of  active  warfare,  and  were  only 
familiar  with  the  duties  of  parade-soldiers.  They  were  married, 
and  entered  sullenly  into  a  war  which  deprived  their  wives  and 
children  of  their  daily  bread. 

The  Prussian  army,  moreover,  was  still  organized  in  the  old- 
fashioned  style,  and  none  of  the  improvements  rendered  indispensa- 

*  E.  M.  Arndt,  the  celebrated  author  of  the  German  hymn,  "Was  ist  des  Deut- 
schen  Vaterland?" 

t  Bishop  Eylert,  "Frederick  William  III.,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  8. 


A  BAD  OMEN.  503 

ble  by  the  rapid  progress  of  the  art  of  war  had  been  adopted  by  the 
Prussian  ministers  of  war. 

The  arms  of  the  infantry  were  defective  and  bad  ;  the  muskets 
looked  glittering  and  were  splendidly  burnished,  but  their  construc- 
tion was  imperfect.  They  were  calculated  only  for  parades,  but  not 
for  active  warfare.  Besides,  the  infantry  was  drilled  in  the  old 
tactics,  which  looked  very  fine  on  parade,  but  were  worse  than  use- 
less in  battle.* 

The  artillery  was  well  mounted,  but  its  generals  were  too  old  and 
disabled  for  field  service ;  the  youngest  of  them  were  more  than 
seventy  years  of  age. 

The  clothing  of  the  army  was  of  the  most  wretched  description  ; 
it  was  made  of  the  coarsest  and  worst  cloth,  and,  moreover,  entirely 
insufficient.  The  rations  were  just  as  scanty,  and  fixed  in  accord- 
ance with  the  economical  standard  of  the  Seven  Years'  War. 

Besides,  there  was  no  enthusiasm,  no  military  ardor  in  the  ranks 
of  the  army.  The  long  period  of  peace  and  parade-service  had 
diminished  the  zeal  of  the  soldiers,  and  made  them  consider  their 
duties  as  mere  play  and  unnecessary  vexations,  requiring  no  other 
labor  than  the  cleaning  of  their  muskets  and  belts,  the  buttoning  of 
their  gaiters,  and  the  artistic  arrangement  of  their  pigtails.  Every 
neglect  of  these  important  duties  was  punished  in  the  most  merciless 
manner.  The  stick  still  reigned  in  the  Prussian  army,  and  while 
cudgelling  discipline  into  the  soldier,  they  cudgelled  ambition  and 
self-reliance  out  of  him.  Not  military  ardor  and  manly  courage, 
but  discipline  and  the  everlasting  stick  accompanied  the  Prussian 
soldiers  of  1806  into  the  war.  f 

The  commander- in-chief  of  this  dispirited  and  disorganized  array 
in  the  present  war  was  intrusted  to  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  a  man 
more  than  seventy  years  of  age,  talented  and  well  versed  in  war, 
but  hesitating  and  timid  in  action,  relying  too  little  on  himself,  and 
consequently  without  energy  and  determination.  His  assistant  and 
second  in  command  was  Field-Marshal  Mollendorf,  one  of  the  bravest 
officers  of  the  Seven  Years'  War,  but  now  no  less  than  eighty  years 
of  age. 

Such  was  the  army  which  was  to  take  the  field  and  defeat  Napo- 
leon's enthusiastic,  well-tried,  and  experienced  legions  ! 

The  apprehensions  of  the  prudent  were  but  too  well  founded,  and 
the  anxiety  visible  in  the  king's  gloomy  mien  was  perfectly  justified. 

But  all  these  doubts  were  now  in  vain  ;  they  were  unable  to  stem 
the  tide  of  events  and  to  prevent  the  outbreak  of  hostilities. 

The  force  of  circumstances  was  more  irresistible  than  the  appre- 

*  "The  War  of  1806  and  1807."    By  Edward  vonHopfner,  voL  i.,  p.  46. 
tlbidL,  vol.  i.,  p.  86. 


504  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

hensions  of  the  sagacious ;  and  if  the  latter  said  in  a  low  voice  this 
war  was  a  misfortune  for  Prussia,  public  opinion  only  shouted  the 
louder  :  "  This  war  saves  the  honor  of  Prussia,  and  delivers  us  from 
the  yoke  of  the  hateful  tyrant !" 

Public  opinion  had  conquered ;  war  was  inevitable.  General 
von  Knobelsdorf  was  commissioned  to  present  to  the  Emperor  of  the 
French  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Prussia  an  ultimatum,  in  which 
the  king  demanded  that  the  French  armies  should  evacuate  Germany 
in  the  course  of  two  weeks  ;  that  the  emperor  should  raise  no  obsta- 
cles against  the  formation  of  the  confederation  of  the  northern 
princes,  and  give  back  to  Prussia  the  city  of  Wesel,  as  well  as  other 
Prussian  territories  annexed  to  France. 

This  ultimatum  was  equivalent  to  a  declaration  of  the  war,  and 
the  Prussian  army,  therefore,  marched  into  the  field. 

The  regiments  of  the  life-guards  were  to  leave  Berlin  on  the  21st 
of  September,  and  join  the  army,  and  the  king  intended  to  accom- 
pany them. 

In  Berlin  there  reigned  everywhere  the  greatest  enthusiasm. 
All  the  houses  had  been  decorated  with  festoons  and  flowers,  and 
the  inhabitants  crowded  the  streets  in  their  holiday -dresses  to  greet 
the  departing  life-guards  with  jubilant  cheers  and  congratulations. 

The  king  had  just  reviewed  the  regiments,  and  now  repaired  to 
his  wife  to  bid  her  farewell  and  then  leave  Berlin  at  the  head  of  his 
life-guards. 

The  queen  went  to  meet  him  with  a  radiant  smile,  and  a  won- 
drous air  of  joy  and  happiness  was  beaming  from  her  eyes.  The 
king  gazed  mournfully  at  her  beautiful,  flushed  face,  and  her  cheer- 
fulness only  increased  his  melancholy. 

"  You  receive  me  with  a  smile, "  he  said,  "  and  my  heart  is  full  of 
anxiety  and  sadness.  Do  you  not  know,  then,  why  I  have  come  to 
you?  I  have  come  to  bid  you  farewell !" 

She  placed  her  hands  on  his  shoulders,  and  her  whole  face  was 
radiant  with  sunshine. 

" No, "  she  said,  "you  have  come  to  call  for  me  !" 

The  king  looked  at  her  in  confusion  and  terror.  "How  so,  to 
call  for  you?"  he  asked.  "  Whither  do  you  want  to  go,  then?" 

Louisa  encircled  her  husband's  neck  with  her  arms,  and  clinging 
to  him  she  exclaimed,  in  a  loud  and  joyous  voice : 

"  I  want  to  go  with  you,  dear  husband  !" 

"With  me?"  ejaculated  the  king. 

"  Yes,  with  you, "  she  said.  "  Do  you  believe,  then,  my  friend, 
I  should  have  been  so  merry  and  joyful  if  this  had  not  been  my  hope 
and  consolation?  I  have  secretly  made  all  the  necessary  prepara- 
tions, and  am  ready  now  to  set  out  with  you.  I  have  arranged  every 


A  BAD  OMEN.  505 

thing ;  I  have  even, "  she  added,  in  a  low  and  tremulous  voice — "  I 
have  even  taken  leave  of  the  children,  and  I  confess  to  you  I  have 
shed  bitter  tears  in  doing  so.  Part  of  my  heart  remains  with  them, 
but  the  other,  the  larger  part,  goes  with  you,  and  remains  with 
you,  my  friend,  my  beloved,  my  king.  Will  you  reject  it?  Will 
you  not  permit  me  to  accompany  you?" 

"  It  is  impossible, "  said  the  king,  shaking  his  head. 

"Impossible?"  she  exclaimed,  quickly.  "If  you,  if  the  king 
should  order  it  so?" 

"  The  king  must  not  do  so,  Louisa.  I  shall  cease  for  a  while  to 
be  king,  and  shall  be  nothing  but  a  soldier  in  the  camp.  Where 
should  there  be  room  and  the  necessary  comforts  for  a  queen?" 

"If  you  cease  to  be  king, "  said  Louisa,  smiling,  "  it  follows,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  that  I  cease  to  be  a  queen.  If  you  are  nothing  but 
a  soldier,  I  am  merely  a  soldier'a  wife,  and  it  behooves  a  soldier's 
wife  to  accompany  her  husband  into  the  camp.  Oh,  Frederick,  do 
not  say  no ! — do  not  deprive  me  of  my  greatest  happiness,  of  my 
most  sacred  right !  Did  we  not  swear  an  oath  at  the  altar  to  go 
hand  in  hand  through  life,  and  to  stand  faithfully  by  each  other  in 
days  of  weal  and  woe?  And  now  you  will  forget  your  oath?  You 
will  sever  our  paths?" 

"  The  path  of  war  is  hard  and  rough, "  said  the  king,  gloomily. 

"  Therefore  I  must  be  with  you,  to  strew  sometimes  a  few  flowers 
on  this  path  of  yours, "  exclaimed  the  queen,  joyfully.  "  I  must  be 
with  you,  so  that  you  may  enjoy  at  least  sometimes  a  calm,  peaceful 
hour  in  the  evening,  after  the  toils  and  troubles  of  the  day  !  I  must 
be  with  you  to  rejoice  with  you  when  your  affairs  are  prosperous, 
and  to  comfort  you  when  misfortunes  befall  you.  Do  you  not  feel, 
then,  dearest,  that  we  belong  indissolubly  to  each  other,  and  that 
we  must  walk  inseparably  through  life,  be  it  for  weal  or  for  woe?" 

"  I  am  not  allowed  to  think  of  myself,  Louisa, "  said  the  king, 
greatly  affected,  "  nor  of  the  joy  it  would  afford  me  in  these  turbu- 
lent and  stormy  days  to  see  you  by  my  side — you,  my  angel  of  peace 
and  happiness  ;  I  must  only  think  of  you,  of  the  queen,  of  the  mother 
of  my  children,  whom  1  must  not  expose  to  any  danger,  and  whom 
I  would  gladly  keep  aloof  from  any  tempest  and  anxiety. " 

"  When  I  am  no  longer  with  you,  anxiety  will  consume  me,  and 
grief  will  rage  around  me  like  a  tempest, "  exclaimed  the  queen, 
passionately.  "  I  should  find  rest  neither  by  day  nor  by  night,  for  my 
heart  would  always  long  for  you,  and  my  soul  would  always  tremble 
for  you.  I  should  always  see  you  before  me  wounded  and  bleeding, 
for  I  know  you  will  not  regard  your  safety,  your  life,  when  there  is 
a  victory  to  be  gained  or  a  disgrace  to  be  averted.  Bullets  do  not 
spare  the  heads  of  kings,  and  swords  do  not  glance  off  powerlessly 


506  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

from  their  sacred  persons.  In  time  of  war  a  king  is  but  a  man ! 
Permit  the  queen,  therefore,  at  this  time,  to  be  but  a  woman — your 
wife,  who  ought  to  nurse  you  if  you  should  be  wounded,  and  to 
share  your  pain  and  anxiety !  Oh,  my  beloved  husband,  can  you 
refuse  your  wife's  supplication?" 

She  looked  at  him  with  her  large,  tearful,  imploring  eyes ;  her 
whole  beautiful  and  great  soul  was  beaming  from  her  face  in  an  ex- 
pression of  boundless  love. 

The  king,  overwhelmed,  carried  away  by  her  aspect,  was  no 
longer  strong  enough  to  resist  her.  He  clasped  her  in  his  arms,  and 
pressed  a  long  and  glowing  kiss  on  her  forehead. 

"No,"  he  said,  deeply  moved,  "I  cannot  refuse  your  supplica- 
tion. We  will,  hand  in  hand,  courageously  and  resolutely  bear  the 
fate  God  has  in  store  for  us.  Nothing  but  death  shall  separate  us  1 
Come,  my  Louisa,  my  beloved  wife,  accompany  me  wherever  I  may 
go!" 

The  queen  uttered  a  jofyul  cry ;  seizing  the  king's  hand,  she 
bent  over  it  and  kissed  it  reverentially,  before  the  king  could  prevent 
her  from  doing  so. 

"Louisa,  what  are  you  doing?"  exclaimed  the  king,  almost 
ashamed,  "you — " 

Loud  shouts  resounding  on  the  street  interrupted  him.  The 
royal  couple  hastened  hand  in  hand  to  the  window. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  in  front  of  the  large  portal  of 
the  arsenal,  thousands  of  men  had  assembled ;  all  seemed  to  be 
highly  excited,  and,  with  shouts  and  manifestations  of  wild  curi- 
osity, to  throng  around  an  object  in  the  middle  of  the  densest  part 
of  the  crowd. 

Some  accident  must  have  happened  over  yonder.  Perhaps,  a 
stroke  of  apoplexy  had  felled  a  poor  man  to  the  ground  ;  perhaps,  a 
murder  had  been  committed,  for  the  faces  of  the  bystanders  looked 
pale  and  dismayed ;  they  clasped  their  hands  wonderingly,  and 
shook  their  heads  anxiously. 

The  king  rang  the  bell  hastily,  and  ordered  the  footman,  who 
entered  immediately,  to  go  over  to  the  arsenal  and  see  what  was 
the  matter. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  returned,  panting  and  breathless. 

"Well,"  said  the  king  to  him,  "has  an  accident  occurred?" 

"Yes,  your  majesty,  not  to  anybody  in  the  crowd,  however. 
The  statue  of  Bellona,  which  stood  on  the  portal  of  the  arsenal,  has 
suddenly  fallen  from  the  roof. " 

"Was  it  shattered?"  asked  the  queen,  whose  cheeks  had  turned 
pale. 

"  No,  your  majesty,  but  its  right  arm  is  broken. " 


BEFORE  THE  BATTLE.  507 

The  king  beckoned  him  to  withdraw,  and  commenced  pacing 
the  room.  The  queen  had  returned  to  the  window,  and  her  eyes, 
which  she  had  turned  toward  heaven,  were  filled  with  tears. 

After  a  long  pause,  the  king  approached  her  again.  "  Louisa, " 
he  said,  in  a  low  voice,  "will  you  still  go  with  me?  The  day  is 
clear  and  sunny  ;  not  a  breath  is  stirring,  and  the  statue  of  Bellona 
falls  from  the  roof  of  our  arsenal  and  breaks  its  arm.  That  is  a 
bad  omen  !  Will  you  not  be  warned  thereby?" 

The  queen  gave  him  her  hand,  and  her  eyes  were  radiant  again 
with  love  and  joyf ulness.  "  Where  you  go,  I  shall  go, "  she  said, 
enthusiastically  !  "  Your  life  is  my  life,  and  your  misfortunes  are 
my  misfortunes.  I  am  not  afraid  of  bad  omens !"  * 


CHAPTER   LXII. 

BEFORE  THE  BATTLE. 

IT  was  long  after  nightfall.  A  cold  and  dismal  night.  The 
mountains  of  the  forests  of  Thuringia  bordered  the  horizon  with 
their  snow-clad  summits,  and  a  piercing  wind  was  howling  over 
the  heights  and  through  the  valleys. 

The  Prussian  army  seemed  at  length  to  have  reached  its  destina- 
tion, and  here,  on  the  hills  and  in  the  valleys  of  Jena  and  Auerstadt, 
the  great  conflict  was  to  be  decided,  for  the  Prussian  army  was 
now  confronting  the  Iegi9ns  of  Napoleon. 

The  principal  army,  with  the  commander- in-chief,  the  Duke  of 
Brunswick,  the  king,  and  the  staff,  was  encamped  at  Auerstadt. 

The  second  army,  commanded  by  the  Prince  von  Hohenlohe,  was 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Jena. 

It  was  still  firmly  believed  that  Prussia  would  accomplish  her 
great  purpose,  and  defeat  Napoleon.  The  disastrous  skirmish  of 
Saalfeld,  and  the  death  of  Prince  Louis  Ferdinand,  had  made  a  bad 
impression,  but  not  shaken  the  general  confidence. 

It  is  true,  the  Prussians  were  cold,  for  they  had  no  cloaks ;  it  is 
true,  they  were  hungry,  for,  owing  to  the  sudden  lack  of  bread, 
they  had  received  only  half  rations  for  the  last  few  days  ;  but  their 
hearts  were  still  undismayed,  and  they  longed  only  for  one  thing — 
for  the  decisive  struggle.  The  decision,  at  all  events,  could  not  but 
put  an  end  to  their  hunger,  either  by  death  or  by  a  victory,  which 
would  open  to  them  large  army  magazines  and  supplies. 

*  Another  bad  omen  occurred  on  that  day.  Field-Marshal  von  MSllendorf,  who 
was  to  accompany  the  troops,  after  being  lifted  on  the  left  side  of  his  charger, 
fell  down  ou  the  other. 


508  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

The  Prussian  troops  encamped  at  Jena  stood  quietly  before  their 
tents  and  chatted  about  the  hopes  of  the  next  day  ;  they  told  each 
other  that  Bonaparte  with  his  French,  as  soon  as  he  had  heard  that 
the  Prussians  were  already  at  Jena,  had  hastily  left  Weimar  again 
and  retreated  toward  Gera. 

"  Then  it  will  be  still  longer  before  we  get  hold  of  the  French, " 
exclaimed  several  soldiers.  "  We  thought  we  had  got  him  sure  at 
last,  and  that  he  could  not  escape  any  more,  and  when  he  scented 
us,  he  again  found  a  mouse-hole  through  which  he  might  get  away. " 

"  But  we  will  close  this  mouse-hole  for  him,  so  that  he  cannot 
get  out  of  it, "  said  a  powerful  voice  behind  them,  and  when  the 
soldiers  turned  anxiously  around,  they  beheld  their  general,  the 
Prince  von  Hohenlohe,  who,  walking  with  his  adjutants  through 
the  camp,  just  reached  their  tents. 

The  soldiers  faced  about  and  respectfully  saluted  the  general, 
who  kindly  nodded  to  them. 

"You  would  be  glad  then  to  meet  the  French  soon?"  he  asked 
the  soldiers,  whose  conversation  he  had  overheard. 

"  Yes,  we  should  be  glad, "  they  exclaimed  ;  "  it  would  be  a  holi- 
day for  us. " 

"  Well,  it  may  happen  veiy  soon, "  said  the  prince,  smiling,  and 
continued  his  walk. 

"  Long  live  the  Prince  von  Hohenlohe  !"  shouted  the  soldiers. 

The  prince  walked  on,  everywhere  greeting  the  soldiers  and  re- 
ceiving their  salutations ;  everywhere  filling  the  men  with  exulta- 
tion by  promising  them  that  they  would  soon  have  a  battle  and 
defeat  the  French. 

Now  he  stopped  in  front  of  the  grenadiers,  who  were  drawn  up 
in  line  before  him. 

"  Boys, "  he  said,  loudly  and  joyously,  "  you  will  have  to  perform 
the  heaviest  part  of  the  work.  If  need  be,  you  must  make  a  bayo- 
net charge,  and  I  know  you  will  rout  the  enemy  wherever  you  meet 
with  him.  I  am  sure  you  will  do  so !" 

"Yes,  we  willl"  shouted  the  grenadiers;  "most  assuredly  we 
will !  Would  we  had  already  got  hold  of  the  French  !" 

"  We  will  soon  enough, "  exclaimed  the  prince  ;  and  when  he  then 
walked  along  the  ranks,  he  asked  a  tall,  broad-shouldered  grenadier. 
"  Well,  how  many  French  soldiers  will  you  take  ?" 

"  Five, "  said  the  grenadier. 

"And  you?"  said  the  prince,  to  another  grenadier. 

"  Three, "  he  replied. 

"  I  shall  not  take  less  than  seven !"  shouted  another. 

"I  shall  not  take  less  than  ten  !"  said  still  another. 

The  prince  laughed  and  passed  on. 


BEFORE  THE  BATTLE.  509 

When  the  night  had  further  advanced,  he  rode  with  his  staff  to 
a  hill  near  Kapellendorf ,  where  he  had  established  his  headquarters. 

From  this  hill  he  closely  scanned  the  position  of  the  enemy, 
whose  camp  was  marked  only  by  a  few  lights  and  bivouac- fires. 

"  We  shall  have  nothing  to  do  to-morrow, "  said  the  prince,  turn- 
ing to  his  officers.  "  It  seems  the  principal  army  of  the  French  is 
moving  toward  Leipsic  and  Naumburg.  At  the  best,  we  shall  have 
a  few  skirmishes  of  no  consequence  to-morrow.  We  may,  there- 
fore, calmly  go  to  bed,  and  so  may  our  soldiers.  Good-night,  gen- 
tlemen. " 

And  the  prince  rode  with  his  adjutants  down  to  his  headquarters 
at  Kapellendorf,  to  go  to  bed  and  sleep.  An  hour  later,  profound 
silence  reigned  in  the  Prussian  camp  near  Jena.  The  soldiers  were 
sleeping,  and  so  was  their  general. 

And  profound  silence  reigned  also  in  the  Prussian  camp  at 
Auerstadt.  The  king  had  held  a  council  of  war  late  in  the  even- 
ing, and  conferred  with  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  Field-Marshal  von 
Mollendorf ,  and  the  other  generals  about  the  operations  of  the  follow- 
ing day.  The  resut  of  this  consultation  had  been  that  nobody  be- 
lieved in  the  possibility  of  a  battle  on  the  following  day  ;  and  hence, 
it  had  been  decided  that  the  army  was  quietly  to  advance,  follow 
the  enemy,  who  seemed  to  retreat,  and  prevent  him  from  crossing 
the  Saale. 

The  council  of  war  had  then  adjourned,  and  the  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick hastened  to  his  quarters,  in  order,  like  the  Prince  von  Hohen- 
lohe,  to  go  to  bed  and  sleep. 

An  hour  later,  profound  silence  reigned  also  in  the  Prussian 
camp  at  Auerstadt.  The  Duke  of  Brunswick  slept,  and  so  did  his 
soldiers. 

The  king  alone  was  awake. 

With  a  heavy  heart  and  a  gloomy  face,  he  was  walking  up  and 
down  in  his  tent.  He  felt  indescribably  lonesome,  for  his  wife  was 
no  longer  with  him.  Yielding,  with  bitter  tears,  to  the  supplica- 
tions of  her  husband,  she  had  left  the  camp  to-day  and  gone  toward 
Naumburg. 

The  king  had  implored  her  to  go,  but  his  heart  was  heavy  ;  and 
when  he  at  last,  late  at  night,  repaired  to  his  couch,  slumber  kept 
aloof  from  his  eyes. 

At  the  same  time,  while  the  Prussian  army  and  its  generals  were 
sleeping,  a  wondrous  scene  took  place  not  far  from  them,  and  a 
singular  procession  moved  across  the  fields  at  no  great  distance  from 
Jena. 

Silence,  darkness,  and  fog  reigned  all  around.  But  suddenly  the 
fog  parted,  and  two  torch-bearers,  with  grave  faces,  appeared, 


510  LOUISA  OF  PRUSSIA. 

accompanying  a  man  clad  in  a  green  overcoat,  with  white  facings, 
with  a  small  three-cornered  hat  on  his  head,  and  mounted  on  a 
white  horse.  The  blaze  of  the  torches  illuminated  his  pale  face  ;  his 
eyes  were  as  keen  as  those  of  an  eagle,  and  seemed  to  command  the 
fog  to  disappear,  so  that  he  might  see  what  it  was  concealing  from 
him.  At  his  side,  whenever  the  torches  blazed  up,  two  other  horse- 
men, in  brilliant  uniforms,  were  to  be  seen  ;  but  their  eyes  did  not 
try  to  pierce  the  fog,  but  to  fathom  the  face  of  the  proud  man  at 
their  side  ;  their  eyes  were  fixed  on  him,  on  his  pale  face,  on  which, 
even  at  this  hour  of  the  night,  the  sun  of  Austerlitz  was  shedding 
his  golden  rays. 

While  the  Prussian  army  and  its  generals  were  sleeping,  Napo- 
leon was  awake  and  was  arranging  the  plans  for  the  impending 
battle.  The  postmaster  of  Jena  and  General  Denzel  were  his  torch- 
bearers  ;  Marshal  Lannes  and  Marshal  Soult  were  his  companions. 

The  Emperor  Napoleon  was  reconnoitring,  in  the  dead  of  night, 
the  ground  on  which  he  was  to  gain  a  battle  over  the  Prussians  on 
the  morrow,  as  he  had  recently  gained  a  battle  over  the  Austrians. 

Austria  had  had  her  Austerlitz ;  Prussia  was  to  have  her  Auer- 
stadt  and  Jena. 

Napoleon  had  fixed  his  plan ;  to-morrow  was  the  day  when  he 
would  take  revenge  on  the  King  of  Prussia  for  the  treaty  of  Potsdam 
and  the  alliance  with  Russia. 

Arriving  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  of  Jena,  the  emperor  stopped  and 
alighted,  in  order  to  ascend  it  on  foot.  When  he  reached  the  sum- 
mit, he  stood  for  a  long  while  absorbed  in  his  reflections.  The  two 
torch-bearers  were  at  his  side ;  the  two  marshals  stood  a  little  be- 
hind them.  The  emperor's  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  mountains, 
especially  on  the  Dornberg  which  he  had  previously  passed. 

The  mountain  lay  dark  and  silent  before  him — a  lonely,  sleeping 
giant. 

The  emperor  raised  his  arm  and  pointed  at  the  Dornberg.  "  The 
Prussians  have  left  the  heights,"  he  said,  turning  slowly  to  Marshal 
Lannes ;  "  they  were  probably  afraid  of  the  cold  night-air,  and  have 
descended  into  the  valley  to  sleep.  They  believe  we  shall  not  take 
advantage  of  their  slumber.  But  they  will  be  dreadfully  mistaken, 
those  old  wigs  1  *  As  soon  as  the  fog  has  descended  a  little  post  your 
sharpshooters  on  the  heights  of  the  Dornberg,  that  they  may  bid 
the  Prussians  good-morning  when  they  want  to  march  up  again  !" 

He  turned  his  eyes  again  to  the  gorge  ;  suddenly  his  eyes  flashed 
fire  and  seemed  to  pierce  the  darkness. 

u  What  is  going  on  in  the  gorge  below  ?"  he  asked,  hastily. 

The  torch-bearers  lowered  their  torches ;   the  emperor  and  the 

*  Napoleon  said:   "Us  se  tromperont  formiclablement  ces  vieux  perruques." 


BEFORE  THE  BATTLE.  511 

marshals  looked  anxiously  at  a  long  black  line  moving  forward  in 
the  middle  of  the  gorge,  illuminated  here  and  there  by  a  yellow  pale 
light  which  seemed  to  burn  in  large  lanterns. 

Napoleon  turned  with  an  angry  glance  to  Marshal  Lannes.  His 
face  was  pale — his  right  shoulder  was  quivering,  a  symptom  that 
he  was  highly  incensed.  "It  is  the  artillery  of  your  corps, "  he  said. 
"  It  has  stuck  in  the  gorge  !  If  we  cannot  get  it  off,  we  shall  lose  to- 
morrow's  battle !  Come !" 

And  he  hastened  down-hill  in  so  rapid  and  impetuous  a  manner 
that  the  torch -bearers  and  marshals  were  scarcely  able  to  follow 
him. 

Like  an  apparition,  with  flashing  eyes,  with  an  angry,  pale  face, 
his  form  suddenly  emerged  from  the  darkness  before  the  artillerists 
who  vainly  tried  to  move  the  field-pieces,  the  wheels  of  which  sank 
deeply  into  the  sand.  The  whole  column  of  cannon  and  caissons 
behind  them  had  been  obliged  to  halt,  and  an  inextricable  confu- 
sion would  have  ensued  unless  immediate  and  energetic  steps  had 
been  taken  to  open  a  passage. 

This  was  to  be  done  immediately,  for  Napoleon  was  there. 

He  called  in  a  loud  voice  for  the  general  commanding  the  artil- 
lery ;  he  repeated  this  call  three  times,  and  every  time  his  voice 
became  more  threatening,  and  his  face  turned  paler. 

But  the  officers  he  called  for  did  not  appear.  The  emperor  did 
not  say  a  word ;  his  right  shoulder  was  quivering,  and  his  eyes 
flashed  fire. 

He  commanded  all  the  gunners  in  a  loud  voice  to  come  to  him, 
and  ordered  them  to  get  their  tools  and  light  their  large  lanterns. 

The  emperor  had  himself  seized  the  first  lantern  that  was  lighted. 

"  Now  take  your  pick-axes  and  spades, "  he  shouted.  "  We  must 
widen  the  gorge  in  order  to  get  the  field-pieces  off  again." 

It  was  hard  and  exhausting  work.  Large  drops  of  perspiration 
ran  down  from  the  foreheads  of  the  gunners,  and  their  breath  issued 
painfully  from  their  breasts.  But  they  worked  on  courageously  and 
untiringly,  for  the  emperor  stood  at  their  side,  lantern  in  hand,  and 
lighted  them  during  their  toilsome  task. 

At  times  the  gunners  would  pause  and  lean  on  their  spades — not, 
however,  for  the  purpose  of  resting,  but  of  looking  with  wondering 
eyes  at  this  strange  spectacle,  this  man  with  his  pale  marble  face 
and  flaming  eyes,  this  emperor  who  had  transformed  himself  into 
an  artillery  officer,  and,  lantern  in  hand,  lighted  his  gunners.* 

Only  when  the  wagons  and  field- pieces,  thanks  to  the  energy  of 
the  gunners,  had  commenced  moving  again,  the  emperor  left  the 
gorge  and  returned  to  his  bivouac.  He  took  his  supper  hastily  and 
*  "M6moires  du  Due  de  Rovigo,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  278. 


512  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

thoughtfully ;  then  he  summoned  all  his  generals  and  gave  them 
their  instructions  for  to-morrow's  battle  as  lucidly  and  calmly  as 
ever. 

"And  now  let  us  sleep,  for  we  must  be  up  and  doing  to-morrow 
morning  at  four  o'clock  !"  said  the  emperor,  dismissing  his  generals 
with  a  winning  smile. 

A  few  minutes  later  profound  silence  reigned  all  around ;  the 
emperor  lay  on  his  straw  and  slept.  Roustan  sat  at  some  distance 
from  him,  and  his  dark  eyes  were  fixed  on  his  master  with  the  ex- 
pression of  a  faithful  and  vigilant  St.  Bernard's  dog.  The  flames  of 
the  bivouac- fire  enveloped  at  times,  when  they  rose  higher,  the 
whole  form  of  the  emperor  in  a  strange  halo,  and  when  they  sank 
down  again  the  shades  of  the  night  shrouded  it  once  more.  Four 
sentinels  were  walking  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  emperor's 
bivouac. 

Morning  was  dawning ;  it  was  the  morning  of  the  14th  of 
October,  1806. 

The  Prussians  were  still  asleep  in  their  tents.  But  the  French 
were  awake,  and  the  emperor  was  at  their  head. 

At  four  o'clock,  according  to  the  orders  Napoleon  had  given, 
the  divisions  that  were  to  make  the  first  attack  were  under  arms. 

The  emperor  on  his  white  horse  galloped  up  ;  an  outburst  of  the 
most  rapturous  enthusiasm  hailed  his  appearance. 

"  Long  live  our  little  corporal !  Long  live  the  emperor !"  shouted 
thousands  of  voices. 

The  emperor  raised  his  hat  a  little  and  thanked  the  soldiers  with 
a  smile  which  penetrated  like  a  warm  sunbeam  into  all  hearts.  He 
waved  his  right  hand,  commanding  them  to  be  silent,  and  then  his 
powerful,  sonorous  voice  resounded  through  the  stillness  of  the 
Autumnal  morning. 

"Soldiers,"  he  shouted  in  his  usual  imperious  tone,  "soldiers, 
the  Prussian  army  is  cut  off,  like  that  of  General  Mack  a  year  ago  at 
Ulm.  That  army  will  only  fight  to  secure  a  retreat  and  to  regain  its 
communications.  The  French  corps,  which  suffers  itself  to  be  de- 
feated under  such  circumstances,  disgraces  itself.  Fear  not  that 
celebrated  cavalry  ;  meet  it  in  square  and  with  tho  bayonet !" 

"  Long  live  the  emperor  !  Long  live  the  little  corporal !"  shouted 
the  soldiers  jubilantly  on  all  sides.  The  emperor  nodded  smilingly, 
and  galloped  on  to  give  his  orders  here  and  there,  and  to  address  the 
soldiers. 

It  was  six  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  the  Prussians  were  still  asleep  ! 
But  now  the  first  guns  thundered ;  they  awakened  the  sleeping 
Prussians. 


THE  GERMAN  PHILOSOPHER.  513 

CHAPTER    LXIII. 

THE  GERMAN  PHILOSOPHER. 

PROFOUND  silence  reigned  in  the  small  room ;  books  were  to  be 
seen  everywhere  on  the  shelves,  on  the  tables,  and  on  the  floor  ;  they 
formed  almost  the  only  decoration  of  this  room  which  contained 
only  the  most  indispensable  furniture. 

It  was  the  room  of  a  German  savant,  a  professor  at  the  far-famed 
University  of  Jena. 

He  was  sitting  at  the  large  oaken  table  where  he  was  engaged  in 
writing.  His  form,  which  was  of  middle  height,  was  wrapped  in 
a  comfortable  dressing-gown  of  green  silk,  trimmed  with  black  fur, 
which  showed  here  and  there  a  few  worn-out,  defective  spots.  A 
small  green  velvet  cap,  the  shape  of  which  reminded  the  beholder 
of  the  cap  of  the  learned  Melancthon,  covered  his  expansive,  intel- 
lectual forehead,  which  was  shaded  by  sparse  light-brown  hair. 

A  number  of  closely-written  sheets  of  paper  lay  on  the  table  be- 
fore him,  on  which  the  eyes  of  the  savant,  of  the  philosopher,  were 
fixed. 

This  savant  in  the  lonely  small  room,  this  philosopher  was  George 
Frederick  William  Hegel. 

For  two  days  he  had  not  left  his  room  ;  for  two  days  nobody  had 
been  permitted  to  enter  it  except  the  old  waitress  who  silently  and 
softly  laid  the  cloth  on  his  table,  and  placed  on  it  the  meals  she  had 
brought  for  him  from  a  neighboring  restaurant. 

Averting  his  thoughts  from  all  worldly  affairs,  the  philosopher 
had  worked  and  reflected,  and  heard  nothing  but  the  intellectual 
voices  that  spoke  to  him  from  the  depths  of  his  mind.  Without, 
history  had  walked  across  the  battle-field  with  mighty  strides  and 
performed  immortal  deeds  ;  and  here,  in  the  philosopher's  room,  the 
mind  had  unveiled  its  grand  ideas  and  problems. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  and  in  the  night  of  the  14th  and  15th, 
Hegel  finished  his  "  Phenomenology  of  the  Mind, "  a  work  by  which 
he  intended  to  prepare  the  world  for  his  bold  philosophical  system, 
and  in  which,  with  the  ringing  steps  of  a  prophet,  he  had  accom- 
plished his  first  walk  through  the  catacombs  of  the  creative  intellect. 

All  the  power  and  strength  of  reality,  in  his  eyes,  sprang  from 
this  system,  which  he  strove  to  found  in  the  sweat  of  his  intellectual 
brow,  — and  his  system  had  caused  him  to  forget  the  great  events 
that  had  occurred  in  his  immediate  neighborhood. 

Now  he  had  finished  his  work  ;  now  he  had  written  the  last  word. 


514  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

The  pen  dropped  from  his  hands,  which  he  folded  over  his  manu- 
script as  if  to  bless  it  silently. 

He  raised  his  head,  which,  up  to  this  time,  he  had  bent  over  the 
paper,  and  his  blue  eyes,  so  gentle  and  lustrous,  turned  toward 
heaven  with  a  silent  prayer  for  the  success  of  his  work.  His  fine, 
intellectual  face  beamed  with  energy  and  determination ;  the 
philosopher  was  conscious  of  the  struggle  to  which  his  work  would 
give  rise  in  the  realm  of  thought,  but  he  felt  ready  and  prepared  to 
meet  his  assailants. 

"  The  work  is  finsished, "  he  exclaimed,  loudly  and  joyfully ;  "  it 
shall  now  go  out  into  the  world  !" 

He  hastily  folded  up  his  manuscript,  wrapped  a  sheet  of  paper 
around  it,  sealed  it  and  directed  it. 

Then  he  looked  at  his  watch. 

"Eight  o'clock,"  he  said,  in  a  low  voice  ;  "if  I  make  haste,  the 
postmaster  will  forward  my  manuscript  to-day." 

He  divested  himself  of  his  gown,  and  dressed.  Then  he  took  his 
hat  and  the  manuscript  and  hastened  down  into  the  street  toward 
the  post-office.  Absorbed  as  he  was  in  his  reflections,  he  saw 
neither  the  extraordinary  commotion  reigning  in  the  small  univer- 
sity town,  nor  the  sad  faces  of  the  passers-by ;  he  only  thought  of 
his  work,  and  not  of  reality. 

He  now  entered  the  post-office  ;  all  the  doors  were  open  ;  all  the 
employes  were  chatting  with  each  other,  and  no  one  was  at  the  desk 
to  attend  to  the  office  business  and  to  receive  the  various  letters. 

Hegel,  therefore,  had  to  go  to  the  postmaster,  who  had  not  noticed 
him  at  all,  but  was  conversing  loudly  and  angrily  with  several  gen- 
tlemen who  were  present. 

"  Here  is  a  package  which  I  want  you  to  send  to  Hamburg, "  said 
the  philosopher,  handing  his  package  to  the  postmaster.  "The 
stage-coach  has  not  set  out  yet,  I  suppose?" 

The  postmaster  stared  at  him  wonderingly.  "  No, "  he  said,  "  it 
has  not  set  out  yet,  and  will  not  set  out  at  all !" 

It  was  now  the  philosopher's  turn  to  look  wonderingly  at  the 
postmaster. 

"It  will  not  set  out?"  he  asked.     "Why  not?" 

"It  is  impossible,  in  the  general  confusion  and  excitement. 
There  are  neither  horses  nor  men  to  be  had  to-day.  Everybody  is 
anxious  and  terrified. " 

"  But  what  has  happened  ?"  asked  the  philosopher,  in  a  low  voice. 

"What?  Then  you  do  not  know  yet  the  terrible  events  of  the 
day,  Mr.  Professor?"  exclaimed  the  postmaster,  in  dismay. 

"  I  do  not  know  any  thing  about  them, "  said  the  philosopher, 
timidly,  and  almost  ashamed  of  himself. 


THE  GERMAN  PHILOSOPHER.  515 

"Perhaps  you  did  not  hear,  in  your  study,  the  thunders  of  the 
artillery?" 

"  I  heard  occasionally  a  dull,  long-continued  noise,  but  I  confess 
I  did  not  pay  any  attention  to  it.  What  has  occurred?" 

"A  battle  has  occurred,"  exclaimed  the  postmaster,  "and  when  I 
say  a  battle,  I  mean  two  battles  ;  one  was  fought  here  at  Jena,  and 
the  other  at  Auerstadt ;  but  here  they  did  not  know  that  a  battle 
was  going  on  at  Auerstadt,  and  at  Auerstadt,  like  you,  Mr.  Pro- 
fessor, they  did  not  hear  the  artillery  of  Jena. " 

"  And  who  has  won  the  battle  ?"  asked  Hegel,  feelingly. 

"Who  but  the  conqueror  of  the  world,  the  Emperor  Napoleon  !" 
exclaimed  the  postmaster.  "  The  Prussians  are  defeated,  routed, 
dispersed  ;  they  are  escaping  in  all  directions  ;  and  when  two  French 
horsemen  are  approaching,  hundreds  of  Prussians  throw  their  arms 
away  and  beg  for  mercy  !  The  whole  Prussian  army  has  exploded 
like  a  soap-bubble.  The  king  was  constantly  in  the  thickest  of  the 
fray ;  he  wished  to  die  when  he  saw  that  all  wras  lost,  but  death 
seemed  to  avoid  him.  Two  horses  were  killed  under  him,  but  neither 
sword  nor  bullet  struck  him.  He  is  retreating  now,  but  the  French 
are  at  his  heels.  God  grant  that  he  may  escape  !  The  commander- 
in-chief,  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  was  mortally  wounded  ;  a  bullet 
struck  him  in  the  face  and  destroyed  his  eyes.  Oh,  it  is  a  terrible 
disaster  !  Prussia  is  lost,  and  so  is  Saxe-Weimar,  for  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  will  never  forgive  our  duke  that,  instead  of  joining  the 
Confederation  of  the  Rhine,  he  stood  by  Prussia  and  fought  against 
France.  Our  poor  state  will  have  to  atone  for  it !" 

Hegel  had  listened  sadly  to  the  loquacious  man,  and  his  features 
had  become  gloomier  and  gloomier.  He  felt  dizzy,  and  a  terrible 
burden  weighed  down  his  breast.  He  nodded  to  the  postmaster  arid 
went  out  again  into  the  street. 

But  his  knees  were  trembling  under  him.  He  slowly  tottered 
toward  his  residence. 

All  at  once  a  brilliant  procession  entered  the  lower  part  of  the 
street.  Drums  and  cheers  resounded.  A  large  cavalcade  was  now 
approaching. 

At  its  head,  mounted  on  a  white  horse  with  a  waving  mane  and 
quivering  nostrils,  rode  the  man  of  the  century,  the  man  witli  the 
marble  face  of  a  Roman  imperator,  the  Julius  Caesar  of  modern 
history. 

His  eyes  were  beaming  with  courage  and  pride ;  a  triumphant 
smile  was  playing  on  his  lips.  It  was  the  triumphator  making  his 
entry  into  the  conquered  city. 

The  philosopher  thought  of  the  history  of  ancient  Rome,  and  it 


516  LOUISA   OF   PRUSSIA. 

seemed  to  him  as  though  the  face  of  the  modern  Caesar  were  that  of 
a  resuscitated  statue  of  antiquity. 

Napoleon  now  fixed  his  flashing  eyes  on  the  philosopher,  who 
felt  that  this  glance  penetrated  into  the  innermost  depths  of  his 
heart.  * 

Seized  with  awe,  Hegel  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed  deeply. 

The  emperor  touched  his  hat  smilingly,  and  thanked  him  ;  then 
he  galloped  on,  followed  by  the  whole  brilliant  suite  of  his  marshals 
and  generals. 

The  German  philosopher  stood  still,  as  if  fixed  to  the  ground,  and 
gazed  after  him  musingly  and  absorbed  in  solemn  reflections. 

He  himself,  the  Napoleon  of  ideas,  had  yet  to  win  his  literary 
battles  in  the  learned  world  of  Germany. 

The  emperor,  the  Napoleon  of  action,  had  already  won  his  bat- 
tles, and  Germany  lay  at  his  feet.  Vanquished,  crushed  Germany 
seemed  to  have  undergone  her  last  death-struggle  in  the  battles  of 
Jena  and  Auerstadt. 

*  The  writer  heard  the  account  of  this  meeting  with  the  Emperor  Napoleon 
from  the  celebrated  philosopher  himself  in  1829.  He  described  in  plain,  yet  soul- 
stirring  words,  the  profound,  overwhelming  impression  which  the  appearance  of 
the  great  emperor  had  made  upon  him,  and  called  this  meeting  with  Napoleon  one 
of  the  most  momentous  events  of  his  life.  The  writer,  then  a  young  girl,  listened 
at  the  side  of  her  father  with  breathless  suspense  to  the  narrative  which,  precisely 
by  its  simplicity  made  so  profound  an  impression  upon  her,  that,  carried  away 
by  her  feelings,  she  burst  into  tears.  The  philosopher  smiled,  and  placed  his  hand 
on  her  head.  "Young  folks  weep  with  their  hearts,"  he  said,  "but  we  men  wept 
at  that  tim«  with  our  heads." 

THE  AUTHORESS. 


•THE  END. 


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